This collection consists of the personal and scholarly papers of Yale University's Sterling Professor of Comparative Literature René Wellek (1903-1995). This collection primarily documents Wellek's academic career as a specialist in Slavic and English literature, as well as a historian of literary criticism. This collection contains manuscripts, correspondence, lecture notes, notebooks, reprints, reviews, clippings, and family materials.

René Wellek was an influential literary critic and theorist known for his pioneering work in the field of comparative literature. He taught at numerous institutions throughout his career, including Yale and the University of Iowa. Best known for his works Theory of Literature and A History of Modern Criticism, he was an advocate of the "intrinsic" literary critical method, which rejects the political and social influences on works of literature and stresses the content of the work itself.

74.5 Linear Feet (75 boxes) and 0.02 unprocessed linear feet

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Processed components of the collection are open for research. Unprocessed additions may contain restricted materials. Please contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access. All student and employee records are restricted for 75 years due to third party privacy issues.