Classic

Frank Kermode (1919–2010) was a British literary critic and the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Sense of an Ending, a defining work of fiction theory. A regular contributor to London Review of Books and the New York Review of Books, Kermode was knighted in 1991. He was King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at University of Cambridge.

• 1. tantum alias inter caput extulit urbes, quantum lenta solent inter viburna cupressi 2. urbem, quam dicunt Romam...putavi...huic nostrae similem... 3. magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo 4. atgue hic ingentem comitum adfluxisse novorum invenio admirans numerum...

The subtitle…modestly describes the tensions that generate the remarkable energy of this highly original study. The old conception of classic, Kermode argues, is tied to Virgilian attitudes of empire and eternity; the modern use of the term embraces change, plurality and secularization. The Classic brilliantly mediates between the two views of literature and culture… This closely argued and clearly articulated essay…rests on formidable learning.