| Author(s) | M. Nabil Nahhas Homsy |
| Affiliation | Associate Professor of French, College of Arts King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Classicism: Past and Present |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Languages & Translation. Volume 10, No 1. (1998/1418) |
| Abstract | The main aim of the present paper is to discuss the various interpretations of "classicism," and to trace the development ofits defmitions in French dictionaries starting with the 17th century "Dictionnaire de I' Academie Francaise" and ending with the most recent ones. The paper, furthermore, focuses on the various influences that have helped develop the meaning of "classicism" particularly in the romantic era. The paper is divided into two main parts: part one tackles the old meaning of "classicism", and records the semantic development of the term until the end of the 19th century. Part two spotlights the modern meanings that the word has acquired in modern dictionaries, and the way it is used by a number of well known literary critics. The paper concludes that classicism is not a school as much as a trend with distinct characteristics hinging around rationalism and traditionalism. However, this does not imply that classicism is simply confined to the old and the traditional, but like romanticism, it embraces the fundamentals of human thought as a whole. Needless to say that there have always been, and will always be, literary figures who would give priority to the mind over emotion, or the other way round. But the author argues that maintaining a happy medium between the two values would certainly be a big stride towards perfection. |
