Classical Humanism and the Challenge of Modernity: Debates on Classical Education in 19th-century Germany

This book challenges the common view that classical education in 19^th-century Germany was dominated by a progressive ideal called “neohumanism.” The prevailing ideal of education at the German Gymnasien was emphatically traditional and is best described as classical humanism. Moreover, this 19^th-century classical humanism dynamically related to modern society and should therefore be seen as the continuation of a living tradition.