Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing History
Historical Background
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Arrangement
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Eugenio Donato papers
Creator:
Donato, Eugenio
Identifier/Call Number: MS.C.009
Physical Description:
2.5 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1970-1983
Abstract: This collection contains publications, manuscripts, notes, annotated sources, subject files, and curriculum vitae of former
University of California, Irvine French and Comparative Literature professor, Eugenio Donato.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are generally retained by the creators of the records
and their heirs, unless transferred to the University of California. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine
who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where the UC Regents do
not hold the copyright.
For information on use, copyright, and attribution, please visit: http://special.lib.uci.edu/using/publishing.html
Preferred Citation
Eugenio Donato papers. MS-C009. Special Collections and Archives,The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Transferred to Special Collections and Archives by John Carlos Rowe in 1997. Gift of Sarah Donato, 1998.
Processing History
Accessioned by Carol McEwan, 2011. Processed by Alexandra Bisio, 2015.
Historical Background
Eugenio Donato, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, at the University of California, Irvine, was an Armenian-Italian
literary critic, particularly noted for his work on
The Structuralist Controversy: The Languages of Criticism and the Science of Man with Richard Macksey.
Donato was born on August 17, 1937 in Cyprus to an Italian father and an Armenian mother. Though he spent his youth in Alexandria,
Egypt, where he received his French Baccalaureates-lettres, he began his undergraduate studies at UCLA before moving to New
York to attend Columbia University. After graduating from Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1956, Donato
taught French and Mathematics at Portsmouth Priory in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
In 1960, Donato began his PhD in Romance Language at the Johns Hopkins University under the direction of Rene Girard. Donato
completed his degree in 1965 with a dissertation entitled, "From Marivaux to Voltaire: an Essay in the Definition of a Literary
Style." Remaining at Johns Hopkins as an assistant professor, Donato participated in the famous 1966 Johns Hopkins conference
"The Language of Criticism and the Science of Man," whose guests included Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man, and J. Hillis Miller.
In partnership with Richard Macksey, Donato edited the proceedings of the conference into a volume entitled
The Structuralist Controversy: The Languages of Criticism and the Science of Man . This conference and work gave a "radically new orientation to humanities studies in North America."
During his career, Donato taught at Cornell University (1963-1964), Johns Hopkins (1964-1968), and SUNY Buffalo (1968-1764)
where he directed the program in Comparative Literature. Donato came to UCI in 1978. He taught in the departments of French
and comparative literature, and was the chair of the departments of French and Italian.
Eugenio Donato died on September 19, 1983. His book
The Script of Decadence: Essays on the Fictions of Flaubert and the Poetics of Romanticism, a study of nineteenth century theories of representation in the work of Gustave Flaubert, was published posthumously in
1993. The Eugenio Donato Chair of Comparative Literature at the University at Buffalo is named in his honor.
Source
The Regents of the University of California."University of California: In Memoriam - Eugenio Donato, French and Italian: Irvine."
Calisphere, http://texts.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb4d5nb20m;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00045&toc.depth=1&toc.id=&brand=calisphere
(Accessed 2014/5/11).
Chronology
1937 August 17 |
Born in Cyprus. |
1954 |
Began undergraduate study at UCLA. |
|
Received Baccalaureates-lettres. |
1956 |
Received Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics, Columbia University. |
|
Began teaching French and mathematics at Portsmouth Priory. |
1960 |
Began graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. |
1963-1964 |
Assistant Professor of Romance Literatures, Cornell University. |
1965 |
Completed PhD in Romance Languages, Johns Hopkins University. |
1966 |
The Structuralist Controversy: The Languages of Criticism and the Science of Man, edited with Richard Macksey.
|
1968-1976 |
Associate Professor of French and Comparative Literature, SUNY Buffalo. |
1970-1972 |
Professeur Agrege de Litterature Comparee, University de Monteal. |
1973-1977 |
Director, Program in Comparative Literature, SUNY, Buffalo. |
1976-1978 |
Professor of Comparative Literature, SUNY Buffalo. |
1978 |
Chairman of the Departments of French and Italian, UC, Irvine. |
|
Professor of French and Comparative Literature, UC, Irvine. |
1983 September 19 |
Died in Irvine, California. |
1993 |
The Script of Decadence: Essays on the Fictions of Flaubert and the Poetics of Romanticism posthumously published.
|
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection contains a sample of the late academic work of University of California, Irvine French and Comparative Literature
professor, Eugenio Donato. Materials in this collection include publications, manuscripts, notes, annotated sources, subject
files, and curriculum vitae. The majority of the papers relate to Donato's posthumously published book
The Script of Decadence, a study of nineteenth century theories of representation in the work of Gustave Flaubert. Some material on Hegel, Derrida,
and deconstruction is also included.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in four series:
- Series 1. Writings, 1970-1983, .7 linear feet
- Series 2. Notes and sources, 1970-1983, 1 linear foot
- Series 3. Subject files,1970-1983, .7 linear feet
- Series 4. Curriculum vitae, 1970-1983, .1 linear feet
All series are in their original order.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Literary critics.
Critical theory -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- California -- Irvine
Critical theory -- Archives.
University of California, Irvine
Flaubert, Gustave