author
Irving Babbitt
1865–1933
A major voice in early 20th-century literary criticism, he helped found the movement known as New Humanism and argued for moral discipline, classical balance, and clear standards in culture. His work pushed back against sentimentalism and romantic excess, making him an influential figure in American intellectual life.
1 Audiobook
Rousseau and Romanticism
by Irving Babbitt
About the author
Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1865, Irving Babbitt became an American critic, teacher, and scholar best known for shaping the movement later called New Humanism. He studied at Harvard and at the Sorbonne in Paris, then returned to Harvard, where he taught French and comparative literature for decades.
Babbitt was deeply interested in the moral purpose of literature and education. In books such as Literature and the American College, Rousseau and Romanticism, and Democracy and Leadership, he argued for self-discipline, ethical restraint, and the value of classical standards. He was a sharp critic of romanticism, especially when it encouraged emotion without judgment.
Though his ideas were often debated, his teaching and writing left a strong mark on literary and cultural criticism in the United States. He died in 1933, but his work continues to attract readers interested in the relationship between literature, character, and public life.