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classicism, classic
classicism, classic, are terms used in several different and at times overlapping senses. A ‘literary classic’ is a work considered excellent of its kind, and therefore standard, fit to be used as a model or imitated. More narrowly, ‘classicism’ may be taken to denote the deliberate imitation of the works of antiquity, and in this sense is often qualified as ‘neo-classicism’, which flourished in England in the late 17th and 18th cents. An elaboration of this concept leads to a distinction between Classicism and Romanticism; the Romantic movement, which dominated the early 19th cent., and which saw itself in part as a revolt against Classicism, led in turn to a reaction at the beginning of the 20th cent. from writers such as T. S. Eliot and T. E. Hulme, whose concern was to stress man's limitations rather than his perfectibility and illimitable aspirations, and who emphasized the virtues of formal restraint in literature rather than the virtues of inspiration and exuberance.
The shades of meaning which the term have acquired lead at times to apparent confusion: when one speaks of the drama of Racine and Corneille as ‘classical’, and the drama of Shakespeare or Hugo as ‘romantic’, one is not depriving Shakespeare or Hugo of classic status, nor suggesting that Shakespeare himself had any sense of such a contrast; whereas Hugo wrote as a conscious rebel against classicism. Auden and Dylan Thomas, near-contemporaries, are frequently described as exemplars of, respectively, the classical and the romantic in modern poetry, and both are widely considered classics of their own period and aesthetic approach. |
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "classicism, classic." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "classicism, classic." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-classicismclassic.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "classicism, classic." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-classicismclassic.html |
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classic
clas·sic / ˈklasik/ • adj. judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind: a classic car. ∎ (of a garment or design) of a simple elegant style not greatly subject to changes in fashion. ∎ remarkably and instructively typical: I had the classic symptoms. • n. 1. a work of art of recognized and established value: his books have become classics. ∎ a garment of a simple, elegant, and long-lasting style. ∎ a thing that is memorable and a very good example of its kind: he's hoping that tomorrow's game will be a classic. 2. (usu. Classics) a school subject that involves the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature, philosophy, and history. ∎ (usu. the classics) the works of ancient Greek and Latin writers and philosophers. ∎ dated a scholar of ancient Greek and Latin. 3. a major sports tournament or competition, as in golf or tennis. |
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Cite this article
"classic." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "classic." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-classic.html "classic." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-classic.html |
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classic
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "classic." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "classic." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-classic.html T. F. HOAD. "classic." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-classic.html |
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classic
classic
•boracic, classic, Jurassic, neoclassic, potassic, thoracic, Triassic
•ataraxic • carsick • heartsick
•geodesic
•anorexic, dyslexic
•airsick • basic • seasick
•extrinsic, intrinsic
•fossick, virtuosic
•toxic • homesick • lovesick
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Cite this article
"classic." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "classic." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-classic.html "classic." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-classic.html |
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