Abstract
Aherne argues that nineteenth-century political aspiration was grounded in the design and purpose of Coleridge’s ideal class, the ‘Clerisy’, and in religious notions of moral improvement and satisfaction, which depended on a flexible model of the state: one that must bind its members together into a coherent unit but also allow for—even encourage—individual development. This was the crowning achievement of Coleridge’s educational project, and centres, albeit ironically, on preserving the model of Coleridge’s influence—of shaping minds of those who can, in turn, go on to shape others. The chapter considers the social implications of the Clerisy before discussing the Coleridgean influence on theories of education; lastly, the progression of the ideal of Culture is surveyed.
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Aherne, P. (2018). The Harmony of Society: The Clerisy, Liberal Education and the Idea of Culture. In: The Coleridge Legacy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95858-3_8
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