Literary Criticism: Leavis and Cultural Politics

Leavis's Moral Fervour and Sociological Sense

• Leavis's moral fervour and sociological sense distinguish him from the New Critics, who are more abstract and focused on aesthetics.
• Literature is a weapon in the battle of cultural politics, and great literature from the past reflects the strength of pre-industrial cultures.
• The past and past literature serve as a measure of the decline of the present age, similar to Arnold and Eliot's views.

Leavis's View on Great Literature

• Great works of literature are vessels that preserve humane values and should be actively deployed in cultural politics.
• The work of great modern writers, such as Eliot and D.H. Lawrence, is complex and difficult, but necessary for cultural values in the 20th century.

Critique of Leavisism

• Leavis's project is both elitist and culturally pessimistic, despite its influence and popularity in the 20th century.
• Perry Anderson critiques Leavisism in "Components of the National Culture" (1968), arguing that it filled the vacuum left by the lack of British Marxism or sociology.

Leavisian Criticism and Theory

• Leavisian criticism is not a theory, but rather "true judgement" and common sense based on lived experience.
• It does not require theory and cannot be theorized, which was its greatest strength for many years.

Explore how F.R. Leavis's literary criticism is influenced by his moral fervour and sociological sense, and how it relates to cultural politics and the role of literature in society.