René Wellek
Encyclopedia
René Wellek was a Czech
-American
comparative
literary critic. Like Erich Auerbach
, Wellek was an eminent product of the Central European philological
tradition and was known as a vastly erudite and "fair-minded critic of critics."
René Wellek was born and raised in Vienna
, speaking Czech
and German
. He studied literature at the Charles University in Prague, and was active among the Prague School
linguists there, before moving to teach in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
in 1935, now part of University College, London.
From World War II
on, Wellek lived in America. He taught first at the University of Iowa
, where he taught for seven years, and then, beginning in 1946, at Yale University
, where he established and chaired a department of comparative literature. In the United States, he was "widely regarded as a founder of the study of comparative literature
in the United States." With Austin Warren
, Wellek published a landmark volume entitled Theory of Literature, one of the first works to systematize literary theory
. Beginning in the 1960s, Wellek defended the New Critics against the condemnation of their work in the name of a structuralist
-influenced literary theory, and is thus sometimes classed as a conservative critic. However, Wellek always emphasized the importance of interpretation in literary criticism and was impatient with purely empirical approaches to literary scholarship.
The crowning work of Wellek's career was an eight-volume magnum opus entitled A History of Modern Criticism: 1750-1950, the last two volumes of which he dictated from his bed in a nursing home.
Wellek married twice.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comparative
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
literary critic. Like Erich Auerbach
Erich Auerbach
Erich Auerbach was a philologist and comparative scholar and critic of literature. His best-known work is Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, a history of representation in Western literature from ancient to modern times.-Biography:Auerbach, who was Jewish, was born in...
, Wellek was an eminent product of the Central European philological
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
tradition and was known as a vastly erudite and "fair-minded critic of critics."
René Wellek was born and raised in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, speaking Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. He studied literature at the Charles University in Prague, and was active among the Prague School
Prague linguistic circle
The Prague school or the Prague linguistic circle was an influential group of literary critics and linguists in Prague. Its proponents developed methods of structuralist literary analysis during the years 1928–1939. It has had significant continuing influence on linguistics and semiotics...
linguists there, before moving to teach in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
School of Slavonic and East European Studies
The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies is a school of University College London . It is the largest centre for the study and research of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Russia in the United Kingdom...
in 1935, now part of University College, London.
From World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on, Wellek lived in America. He taught first at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, where he taught for seven years, and then, beginning in 1946, at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he established and chaired a department of comparative literature. In the United States, he was "widely regarded as a founder of the study of comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
in the United States." With Austin Warren
Austin Warren
Austin Warren was an American literary critic, author, and professor of English.-Childhood and Education:...
, Wellek published a landmark volume entitled Theory of Literature, one of the first works to systematize literary theory
Literary theory
Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of...
. Beginning in the 1960s, Wellek defended the New Critics against the condemnation of their work in the name of a structuralist
Semiotic literary criticism
Semiotic literary criticism, also called literary semiotics, is the approach to literary criticism informed by the theory of signs or semiotics...
-influenced literary theory, and is thus sometimes classed as a conservative critic. However, Wellek always emphasized the importance of interpretation in literary criticism and was impatient with purely empirical approaches to literary scholarship.
The crowning work of Wellek's career was an eight-volume magnum opus entitled A History of Modern Criticism: 1750-1950, the last two volumes of which he dictated from his bed in a nursing home.
Wellek married twice.