A History of Modern Criticism: German, Russian, and Eastern European Criticism, 1900-1950, Volume 7

From Library Journal
In the seventh of a projected eight-volume history of Western literary criticism, Wellek is close to his own intellectual roots. While he remains clear, balanced, and insightful, his examinations and evaluations of the major figures in German, Russian, and Eastern European criticism often take on a more personal character. This is evident in his lack of enthusiasm for Marxists such as Walter Benjamin and Mikhail Bakhtin and his praise for the phenomenological aesthetics of the Polish philosopher Roman Ingarden. Still, Wellek sustains the clarity and vigor of his earlier volumes, making us wish that he planned to extend this history beyond 1950.
- T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong State Coll., Savannah, Ga.
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