Important reflections. I recently read some of Walter Pater's essays on literature (from the 1880s), and he suggests that the Classical and the Romantic are always reviving each other: the Classical adopts some twists and variations, and becomes the Romantic: the Romantic shaves off some unnecessary accretions, and reverts to the Classical. It's a cycle or a helix, not two parallel lines. Of course, as you also point out, who now reads classical literary theory? Everyone's too busy writing a memoir of very little interest to anyone else.
Important reflections. I recently read some of Walter Pater's essays on literature (from the 1880s), and he suggests that the Classical and the Romantic are always reviving each other: the Classical adopts some twists and variations, and becomes the Romantic: the Romantic shaves off some unnecessary accretions, and reverts to the Classical. It's a cycle or a helix, not two parallel lines. Of course, as you also point out, who now reads classical literary theory? Everyone's too busy writing a memoir of very little interest to anyone else.
Well put Judith! Pater is immortal.