A Medieval future : the social, economic and aesthetic thought of A.J. Penty (1875-1937)
This thesis is a comprehensive account and analysis of the contribution of architect and author A. J. Penty to British social criticism and aesthetic theory. The central argument is that Penty has been neglected in scholarship as the result of an historical misclassification. In the existing literature he is presented as a marginal figure in the history of English guild socialism, a movement his first book did much to inspire. He was, in fact, in conflict with fundamental aspects of the guild socialist movement as it developed. Considered in totality, Penty's views were those of a reactionary conservative, and his significance in early twentieth-century political thought can best be understood by locating him within the essentially Victorian tradition of medievalism, which sought to use the social and economic arrangements of the Middle Ages as a perspective from which to criticise industrial society. The thesis therefore investigates the complex nature of Penty's intellectual debts to earlier thinkers, such as Ruskin, Carlyle, Morris, Carpenter, and Matthew Arnold. A subsidiary contention is that the continuing relevance of medievalism in Edwardian and later intellectual life has been underestimated. Some
Grosvenor, Peter Christopher
Medievalist thinking
A Medieval future : the social, economic and aesthetic thought of A.J. Penty (1875-1937). This thesis is a comprehensive account and analysis of the contribution of architect and author A. J. Penty to British social criticism and aesthetic theory. The central argument is that Penty has been neglected in scholarship as the result of an historical misclassification. In the existing literature he is presented as a marginal figure in the history of English guild socialism, a movement his first book did much to inspire. He was, in fact, in conflict with fundamental aspects of the guild socialist movement as it developed. Considered in totality, Penty's views were those of a reactionary conservative, and his significance in early twentieth-century political thought can best be understood by locating him within the essentially Victorian tradition of medievalism, which sought to use the social and economic arrangements of the Middle Ages as a perspective from which to criticise industrial society. The thesis therefore investigates the complex nature of Penty's intellectual debts to earlier thinkers, such as Ruskin, Carlyle, Morris, Carpenter, and Matthew Arnold. A subsidiary contention is that the continuing relevance of medievalism in Edwardian and later intellectual life has been underestimated. Some
medieval future social_economic aesthetic thought comprehensive_account analysis architect author british social_criticism aesthetic_theory central_argument neglect scholarship historical exist_literature present marginal figure history_english guild socialism movement first book much inspire fact conflict fundamental_aspect guild socialist_movement develop considered totality view reactionary conservative significance political_thought best_understood locate_within essentially victorian tradition seek use social_economic arrangement middle_ages perspective criticise industrial_society therefore_investigate complex nature intellectual debt earlier thinker morris matthew subsidiary contention continue relevance edwardian later intellectual_life underestimate