Professor Brewer uses the line from Browning's poem as the starting point for his argument for the educational importance of English studies. English language and literature need to be studied as a totality in historical depth. They sustain, develop and enrich the individual's imaginative and intellectual experience and the whole national culture. Those concerned with English studies at all levels have a special responsibility to the nation to preserve and enhance English literary culture. While English literary culture is essential to those whose mother-tongue is English, it is also to be seen in relation to the European and world context to which it has often been indebted, and to which it makes a significant contribution.