The fourth ‘R’ is rooted belief: Rex Warner and the politics of revisionist classicism

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Abstract

This article traces the historical devaluation of classicism within British academic and intellectual circles in the interwar years. I argue that the political tensions of the 1930s contributed to the movement away from a traditional classical approach and towards one informed by political and civic responsibility. In his novels and essays, Rex Warner’s focus on pedagogy repeatedly suggests that Latin or Greek tutelage, without the necessary focus on the liberal democratic values, can inadvertently bolster right-wing fascistic thought. Concern about classicism’s value within modern democracies is mirrored in interwar debates amongst contemporaneous educational reformers, whose concerns about classicism’s exclusivity would lead to the post-war dissolution of classical entrance exams and the complete reformation of the classics.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)214-230
Number of pages17
JournalLiterature and History
Volume28
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2019

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • History
  • Literature and Literary Theory

Keywords

  • classicism
  • pedagogy
  • politics
  • Rex Warner

Disciplines

  • English Language and Literature

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