The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life, 1780-1910

by Winterer, Caroline

• ISBN13: 9780801867996
• ISBN10: 0801867991
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-12-11
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

Debates continue to rage over whether American university students should be required to master a common core of knowledge. In The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life, 1780--1910, Caroline Winterer traces the emergence of the classical model that became standard in the American curriculum in the nineteenth century and now lies at the core of contemporary controversies. By closely examining university curricula and the writings of classical scholars, Winterer demonstrates how classics was transformed from a narrow, language-based subject to a broader study of civilization, persuasively arguing that we cannot understand both the rise of the American university and modern notions of selfhood and knowledge without an appreciation for the role of classicism in their creation.

Author Biography

Caroline Winterer is an assistant professor of history at San Jose State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Antiquity in the New Nation	p. 10
The Rise of Greece	p. 44
From Words to Worlds, 1820-1870	p. 77
Classical Civilization Consecrated, 1870-1910	p. 99
Scholarship Versus Culture, 1870-1910	p. 152
Epilogue	p. 179
Notes	p. 185
Works Cited	p. 209
Index	p. 237
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