Kyle Harrison
to-read
The Intellectuals and the Masses
The Intellectuals and the Masses: Pride and Prejudice Among the Literary Intelligentsia, 1880–1939
- Author
- John Carey
- Published
- 1992
- Pages
- 246
- Recommended
- Once
Why it’s on the list: Carey’s evidence that the modernist literary elite openly despised ordinary readers — and built a difficult aesthetic partly to keep them out.
Where I saw it: Clive Davis (@CliveDavisUK) on X, December 12, 2025, in a post marking Carey’s death: “I love this book.”
Connections
- Republic of Letters — the version of it that excludes on purpose.
- Ideological Family Tree — where contempt for the mass audience came from.