"The resistance to the humanities: In one of its guises, that of Dead Poets Society, it finally comes down to a preference for fans over critics, amateurs over professionals. Everyone engaged in the debates swirling around the humanities, it seems, is willing to let humanists pursue their interests as amateurs, letting 'poetry work its magic… in the enchantment of the moment.' Some of those who wish us well—so long as it doesn’t cost them anything, in terms of faculty lines, or course enrollments, or research funding—enjoy a fan’s relationship to the humanities themselves, and at best hope for the same for their students.
"Scholars and teachers of the humanities, however: We will insist on being welcomed to the table as professionals."
Twenty-five years after the release of Dead Poets Society, Kevin J.H. Dittmar in The Atlantic criticizes the movie's view of poetry.
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