The Preachers of Culture

The Preachers of Culture A Study of English and Its Teachers - Routledge Revivals

Hardback (12 Dec 2017)

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Publisher's Synopsis

Published in 1975, Margaret Mathieson has drawn on her experience both in schools and in the training of English teachers to relate the discussions and writings of the previous two centuries to the debate, probably livelier than ever before, among English practitioners about the role of their subject.

Of all subjects 'English' can be the most stimulating and also the most problematic. In order to assess the continual discussion and controversy about English, its nature, purpose and place in the curriculum, an understanding of its development as a subject and its entry into the teaching timetable is invaluable.

For over a hundred and fifty years educators have been making different claims for English as a subject in school and higher education. This book contains a careful, clear examination of the conflicting views of these 'preachers of culture' on the four main activities within English - literature, creativity, discrimination and classroom discussion. These preachers were, in Matthew Arnold's words, to have 'a hard time of it' as English struggled to establish itself; at every stage of the subject's growth urgent demands have been made for teachers with exceptional qualities to undertake the heavy responsibilities of English in the classroom, and it can be seen from this study that an over-abundance of advice often contributed to the dilemmas and tensions among the teachers themselves and between English and other subjects.

The final section of the book is concerned less with making recommendations than with drawing conclusions from the evidence of the past. It shows that generations of writers on English teaching, from Culture and Anarchy to Stepney Words, provide vital insights into the state of the subject today.

About the Publisher

Routledge

Routledge

Routledge is the world's leading academic publisher in the Humanities and Social Sciences. We publish thousands of books and journals each year, serving scholars, instructors, and professional communities worldwide. Our current publishing programme encompasses groundbreaking textbooks and premier, peer-reviewed research in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Built Environment. We have partnered with many of the most influential societies and academic bodies to publish their journals and book series. Readers can access tens of thousands of print and e-books from our extensive catalogue of titles. Routledge is a member of Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.

Book information

ISBN: 9780815355168
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Imprint: Routledge
Pub date:
DEWEY: 420.71
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 234
Weight: 394g
Height: 146mm
Width: 225mm
Spine width: 19mm