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New Humanism

 

New Humanism and Its Major Proponents

Introduction

New Humanism was an important literary and cultural movement in the United States during the early twentieth century (1910–1930). It was influenced by the ideas of Matthew Arnold, who emphasized the preservation of “the best that has been thought and said.” The movement arose as a reaction against industrialization, materialism, and the deterministic outlook of modern science.

Main Features of New Humanism

The New Humanists opposed the dominant literary theories of realism and naturalism, which viewed human beings as controlled by heredity and environment. Instead, they emphasized:

  1. Moral Centrality – Human life is essentially moral and ethical

  2. Human Uniqueness – Humans possess intellectual and spiritual superiority

  3. Free Will – Human beings are not completely determined by external forces

  4. Classical Values – Emphasis on restraint, order, and discipline

  5. Opposition to Romanticism – Rejection of emotional excess and subjectivity

Thus, New Humanism aimed to restore ethical criticism and classical standards in literature.

Major Proponents

1. Irving Babbitt (1865–1933)

Irving Babbitt was the chief leader and theoretician of New Humanism.

  • He opposed Romanticism, realism, and naturalism

  • Advocated moral discipline, self-control, and classical restraint

  • Believed literature should guide ethical behaviourMajor Works:

    • Literature and the American College (1908)

    • The New Laokoön (1910)

    • Rousseau and Romanticism (1919) – critique of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    • Democracy and Leadership (1924)

    • On Being Creative (1932)

    He provided the philosophical foundation of New Humanism and extended its ideas to education and politics.

    2. Paul Elmer More (1864–1937)

    Paul Elmer More was a leading essayist and critic of the movement.

    • Emphasized moral and ethical criticism

    • Supported classical tradition and restraint

    • Opposed naturalistic writers like Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis

    Major Works:

    • Shelburne Essays (1904–1921)

    • The Greek Tradition (1924–31)

    • Platonism (1917)

    • The Religion of Plato (1921)

    He popularized New Humanist ideas through essays and reinforced the importance of moral values in literature.

    Other Contributors

    • Norman Foerster

    • Critic of the movement: H. L. Mencken

    Decline of New Humanism

    By the 1930s, New Humanism declined because:

    • It was criticized as elitist and conservative

      • It resisted modern literary developments

      • New critical approaches replaced it

      Conclusion

      New Humanism played a significant role in restoring moral and classical values in literary criticism. Through thinkers like Irving Babbitt and Paul Elmer More, it offered a strong alternative to deterministic and materialistic views of human life, even though its influence diminished over time.

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