Originally published in 1959, this book examines the history of classical education in Britain, beginning in the sixteenth century with the rise of humanism, which emphasized the importance of reading only the best Latin authors and re-introduced Roman structures of education in the form of grammar schools. Clarke also uses Scotland to compare and contrast with the educational history of England, particularly the ways in which the teaching of classics changed and developed over time. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of education in general, and the history of classical education in particular.

This book provides a concise and engaging history of classical education in English schools, beginning in 1500 with massive educational developments in England as humanist studies reached this country from abroad; it ends with the headmastership of Thomas Arnold of Rugby School, who died in 1842, and whose influence on schools helped secure Latin and Greek as the staple of an English education. By examining the pedagogical origins of Latin and Greek in the school curriculum, the book provides historical perspective to the modern study of Classics, revealing how and why the school curriculum developed as it did. The book also shows how schools responded and adapted to societal needs, and charts social change through the prism of classical education in English schools over a period of 350 years. Teaching Classics in English Schools, 1500–1840 provides an overview and insight into the world of classical education from the Renaissance to the Victorians without becoming entrenched in the analytical in-depth interpretative questions which can often detract from a book’s readability. The survey of classical education within the pages of this book will prove useful for anyone wishing to place the teaching of Classics in its cultural and educational context. It includes previously unpublished material, and a new synthesis and analysis of the teaching of Classics in English schools. This will be the perfect reference book for those who teach classical subjects, in both schools and universities, and also for university students who are studying Classical Reception as part of their taught or research degree. It will also be of interest to many schools of older foundation mentioned in this book and to anyone with leanings towards the history of education or English social history.

The Oxford History of Classical Reception (OHCREL) is designed to offer a comprehensive investigation of the numerous and diverse ways in which literary texts of the classical world have stimulated responses and refashioning by English writers. Covering the full range of English literature from the early Middle Ages to the present day, OHCREL both synthesizes existing scholarship and presents cutting-edge new research, employing an international team of expert contributors for each of the five volumes. OHCREL endeavours to interrogate, rather than inertly reiterate, conventional assumptions about literary 'periods', the processes of canon-formation, and the relations between literary and non-literary discourse. It conceives of 'reception' as a complex process of dialogic exchange and, rather than offering large cultural generalizations, it engages in close critical analysis of literary texts. It explores in detail the ways in which English writers' engagement with classical literature casts as much light on the classical originals as it does on the English writers' own cultural context. This fourth volume, and second to appear in the series, covers the years 1790-1880 and explores romantic and Victorian receptions of the classics. Noting the changing fortunes of particular classical authors and the influence of developments in archaeology, aesthetics and education, it traces the interplay between classical and nineteenth-century perceptions of gender, class, religion, and the politics of republic and empire in chapters engaging with many of the major writers of this period.

"The present volume [3] is the first to appear of the five that will comprise The Oxford History of Classical Reception in English Literature (henceforth OHCREL). Each volume of OHCREL will have its own editor or team of editors"--Preface.