Volume : 5, Issue : 1, January - 2016

Intellectual History and its bearing on American Literature

Dr. Rabi Narayana Samantaray

Abstract :

<p>Broadly speaking, intellectual history is the study of intellectuals, ideas, and intellectual patterns over time. Of course, that is a terrifically large definition and it admits of a bewildering variety of approaches. One thing to note right off is the distinction between &ldquo;intellectual history&rdquo; and &ldquo;the history of ideas&rdquo; .this can be somewhat confusing, since the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Intellectual history is an unusual discipline, eclectic in both method and subject matter and therefore resistant to any single, globalized definition. Practitioners of intellectual history tend to be acutely aware of their own methodological commitments; indeed, a concern with historical method is characteristic of the discipline.</p>