A History Of Modern Criticism Rene Wellek Pdf Jun 2026

What makes the History unique is its fierce anti-relativism. In an era that would soon worship theory’s endless deferrals, Wellek insisted on judgment. He was a Kantian at heart: criticism should seek the intrinsic structure of a work of art. Consequently, his History reads like a courtroom drama. He praises the Russian Formalists for their focus on literariness , but convicts them of mechanistic narrowness. He admires T.S. Eliot’s “impersonal theory,” but finds his practical criticism full of personal prejudice. Every thinker is measured against the Platonic ideal of a "criticism that illuminates literature."

Focus: The New Humanists (Irving Babbitt, Paul Elmer More), the Chicago Aristotelians (R.S. Crane), and the Southern Agrarians (John Crowe Ransom). Wellek reveals how American criticism diverged from European tradition by prioritizing practical exegesis over grand theory. a history of modern criticism rene wellek pdf

Which are you most interested in exploring? What makes the History unique is its fierce anti-relativism

: His eight volumes act like a map of the modern mind. From the early Enlightenment to the rise of the New Criticism Consequently, his History reads like a courtroom drama

René Wellek (1903–1995) was a Czech-American comparative literary critic. A key figure in the "New Criticism" movement and a professor at Yale, Wellek sought to move beyond mere biography or historical "impressionism." He believed literature should be studied as a distinct system of signs and structures—an approach that fundamentally reshaped English departments worldwide. The Scope of the Work

This article serves three purposes. First, it provides a deep, scholarly overview of why Wellek’s history remains indispensable. Second, it offers a practical guide to legally accessing these volumes in the digital age. Third, it explains the intellectual heft of the work so you understand why the PDF is worth hunting for.