The Future of the European Past

In virtually every university that offers a liberal arts curriculum, in every arts institution that deals with European classics, in the offices of every publication that engages in intellectual pursuits, the discussion of the past has become the principal conflict in deciding the future of our culture.

In The Future of the European Past, ten distinguished critics reflect upon the breakdown of culture and the fate of Europe's legacy. In their provocative and insightful essays, first published in the New Criterion, they assess the decline of historical memory; the resurgence of elites associated with Europe's totalitarian past; the subversions of the new historical method; the disregard for musical tonality; the retreat of British tradition in the face of pop culture; the postmodern assault on art criticism and art history; the pervasiveness of deconstruction and structuralism in academic inquiry; the future of classical studies; and other aspects of the battle that is now under way for the future of American cultural life.

Marked by wit, independence, and commanding intelligence, these appraisals comprise a major interpretation of this crucial debate. The contributors include David Pryce-Jones, Anne Applebaum, Roger Scruton, John Gross, Ferdinand Mount, John Herington, Keith Windschuttle, Mark Steyn, Hilton Kramer, and Roger Kimball.