Irving Babbitt

Biography

Irving Babbitt was a literary critic and humanist whose thoughtful essays and teachings at Harvard helped steer early twentieth-century conversations about culture, moral imagination, and the role of classical literature. With a keen mind for tracing the ethical dimensions of modern life, he engaged widely with the works of French and English writers, stressing restraint and moral discipline in an era of rapid change.

His intellectual legacy endures through his influence on generations of students and scholars who valued his insistence on balancing passion with principle, and his life is commemorated at Mount Auburn Cemetery among other guardians of American letters.