Eagleton

I had read these same chapters for undergrad theory. I thought that it might seem familiar, but since this is a new update of the book, either a lot has changed or I remember nothing. There are a lot of interesting points made about how literature evolved, but there was a poignant sadness that settled over me when I read how literature was used to control and pacify the masses. Instead of using literature as an inspiration, Matthew Arnold and the like chose to exploit English literature as a source of vicarious experiences meant to replace the need for first hand experiences. It was meant to anaesthetise rather than stimulate.
Two of the statements made by Eagleton seem seem to sum up "Introduction: What is Literature" and "The Rise of English". The first is the observation that even that which appears on the surface to be objective is actually subjective. The second statement is that politics are at the core of much of literary history and criticism. Underneath this second statement is the implication that those who determine the literary canon or the latest form of accepted critical analysis are self-serving. Somehow, in my naivete, I had missed this point. I had felt that there was a removal of the self in an attempt to make literature more understandable and accessible to others. Instead, there is one wave of accepted forms of criticism and authors that seems so contrived and such a construct that all credibility to the craft seems compromised. When it suited their purposes, it seems as though the leaders of movements in the literary field were able to selectively ignore the obvious when it went against their personal agendas. According to Eagleton, many of the pioneers in literary criticism had less of the ideal and more of the pragmatic frame of mind in their motivations. Somehow I feel manipulated by Eagleton's agenda, since I have felt like other books on literary criticism have been much more objective than his presentation. Although they may be cut and dried in comparison, somehow they seem more palatable.