Wellek’s History is staggering in its breadth. Spanning eight volumes, it tracks the evolution of critical thought across Europe and America:
Unlike many histories that stick to one national tradition, Wellek treats Western criticism as a unified "inter-traffic" of ideas. He shows how a German concept travels to England and is eventually refined in America. 3. A Defense of Literature a history of modern criticism rene wellek pdf
At the heart of the History is Wellek’s "Perspectivism"—the idea that we must view a work of art as a whole, possessing its own internal logic, while acknowledging the historical context in which it was created. How to Access the Text Wellek’s History is staggering in its breadth
