William Kurtz Wimsatt, Jr
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William Kurtz Wimsatt Jr. (November 17, 1907 – December 17, 1975) was an American professor of English, literary theorist, and critic. Wimsatt is often associated with the concept of the
intentional fallacy In literary theory and aesthetics, authorial intent refers to an author's intention, intent as it is encoded in their Work of art, work. Authorial intentionalism is the Hermeneutics, hermeneutical view that an author's intentions should constrain t ...
, which he developed with
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
in order to question the importance of an author's intentions for the creation of a work of art.


Life and career

Wimsatt was born in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, attended
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
and, later,
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, where he received his
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
In 1939, Wimsatt joined the English department at Yale, where he taught until his death in 1975. During his lifetime, Wimsatt became known for his studies of eighteenth-century literature (Leitch et al. 1372). He wrote many works of
literary theory Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, m ...
and
criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...
such as ''The Prose Style of Samuel Johnson'' (1941) and ''Philosophic Words: A Study of Style and Meaning in the "Rambler" and "Dictionary" of
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
'' (1948; Leitch et al. 1372). His major works include ''The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry'' (1954); ''Hateful Contraries'' (1965) and ''Literary Criticism: A Short History'' (1957, with
Cleanth Brooks Cleanth Brooks ( ; October 16, 1906 – May 10, 1994) was an American literary critic and professor. He is best known for his contributions to New Criticism in the mid-20th century and for revolutionizing the teaching of poetry in American higher ...
). Wimsatt was considered crucial to
New Criticism New Criticism was a Formalism (literature), formalist movement in literary theory that dominated American literary criticism in the middle decades of the 20th century. It emphasized close reading, particularly of poetry, to discover how a work of l ...
(particularly New
Formalist Formalism may refer to: * Legal formalism, legal positivist view that the substantive justice of a law is a question for the legislature rather than the judiciary * Formalism (linguistics) * Scientific formalism * A rough synonym to the Formal sys ...
Criticism; 1372). He was a member of the
Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences is a learned society founded in 1799 in New Haven, Connecticut "to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest and happiness of a free and virtuous people." Its purpose is the ...
.


Influences

Wimsatt was influenced by
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
, with whom he wrote some of his most important pieces. Wimsatt also drew on the work of both ancient critics, such as
Longinus Longinus (Greek: Λογγίνος) is the name of the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance, who in apostolic and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apoc ...
and
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
, and some of his own contemporaries, such as
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
and the writers of the Chicago School, to formulate his theories, often by highlighting key ideas in those authors' works in order to refute them.


Influence

Wimsatt's ideas have affected the development of
reader-response criticism Reader-response criticism is a School of thought, school of literary theory that focuses on Reading (process), the reader (or "audience") and their experience of a literary work, in contrast to other schools and theories that focus attention primar ...
and his influence has been noted in the works of writers such as
Stanley Fish Stanley Eugene Fish (born April 19, 1938) is an American literary theorist, legal scholar, author and public intellectual. He is the Floersheimer Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of La ...
. Wimsatt's ideas have been disputed in works such as Walter Benn Michaels' and Steven Knapp’s “Against Theory” (Leitch et al. 1373-1374).


Approach

Wimsatt was interviewed, along with Walter J. Ong of
Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
, by Sheila Hough in 1964.327th edition of the radio talk-show Yale Reports, broadcast on May 24, 1964, by WTIC-Hartford. (Professor Wimsatt had received an honorary doctorate from
Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
in 1963.) Hough asked Professor Wimsatt a question that still resonates today: "Is literature taught in complete isolation from its author, Mr. Wimsatt -- don't you consider the person who wrote it?" Wimsatt replied: "I do, of course. Your question, I think, was prompted by that very fine essay of Father Ong's, 'The Jinnee in the Well-Wrought Urn,' which you read in his book ''The Barbarian Within'' 962: 15-25 It first appeared in ''Essays in Criticism'' at Oxford some years ago
954 Year 954 ( CMLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – A Hungarian army led by Bulcsú crosses the Rhine. He camps at Worms in the capital of his ally Conrad the Red, d ...
and was in part, I believe, an answer to an essay written many years ago, about twenty at least, by a friend of mine,
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
, and myself, called 'The Intentional Fallacy.' I would like to pay Father Ong the compliment of saying that I think that his essay 'The Jinnee in the Well-Wrought Urn' is the only sensible response that has ever been written to that essay of ours." As a staunch
formalist Formalism may refer to: * Legal formalism, legal positivist view that the substantive justice of a law is a question for the legislature rather than the judiciary * Formalism (linguistics) * Scientific formalism * A rough synonym to the Formal sys ...
critic, Wimsatt believed in the authority of the poem: any analysis of a poem must centre on the text itself (Leitch et al. 1371-1372). He outlines and advocates (particularly in his two influential essays written with
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
, “ The Intentional Fallacy” and “ The Affective Fallacy”) an “objective criticism” in which the critic essentially disregards the intentions of the poet and the effect of the poem on the audience as the sole (or even the major) factors in analyzing and evaluating a poem (Davis and Schleifer 43). Wimsatt does allow for a certain degree of variation in the analysis of poetry and does not necessarily contend that there is only one possible reading for any given poem. He allows, for example, for what he calls the “literary sense” of meaning, saying that “no two different words or different phrases ever mean fully the same” (Verbal Icon xii). Much of his theory, however, appears to stem from an ambivalence towards "
impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
,
subjectivism Subjectivism is the doctrine that "our own mental activity is the only unquestionable fact of our experience", instead of shared or communal, and that there is no external or objective truth. While Thomas Hobbes was an early proponent of subjecti ...
, and relativism” (Leitch et al. 1373) in criticism. In ''Hateful Contraries'', Wimsatt refers to a “New Amateurism,” an “anti-criticism” emerging in works such as
Leslie Fiedler Leslie Aaron Fiedler (March 8, 1917 – January 29, 2003) was an American literary critic, known for his interest in mythography and his championing of genre fiction. His work incorporates the application of psychological theories to American ...
’s “Credo,” which appeared in the ''
Kenyon Review ''The Kenyon Review'' is a literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, home of Kenyon College. ''The Review'' was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959 in litera ...
''. “The only reservation the theorist need have about such critical impressionism or expressionism,” says Wimsatt, “is that, after all, it does not carry on very far in our cogitation about the nature and value of literature…it is not a very mature form of cognitive discourse” (''Hateful Contraries'' xvi). Indeed, Wimsatt is concerned with ensuring a level of legitimacy in English studies and he sets about doing so by favouring a scientific approach to criticism—even, for example, decrying affective theory as “less a scientific view of literature than a prerogative -- that of the soul adventuring among masterpieces” (''Verbal Icon'' 29).


Theories

Wimsatt contributed several theories to the critical landscape, particularly through his major work, ''The Verbal Icon'' (of which some of the ideas are discussed below). His ideas generally centre around the same questions tackled by many critics: what is poetry and how does one evaluate it?


Intentional fallacy

Perhaps Wimsatt’s most influential theories come from the essays “The Intentional Fallacy” and “The Affective Fallacy” (both are published in ''Verbal Icon'') which he wrote with
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
. Each of these texts “codifies a crucial tenet of New Critical formalist orthodoxy,” making them both very important to twentieth-century criticism (Leitch et al. 1371). The
Intentional Fallacy In literary theory and aesthetics, authorial intent refers to an author's intention, intent as it is encoded in their Work of art, work. Authorial intentionalism is the Hermeneutics, hermeneutical view that an author's intentions should constrain t ...
, according to Wimsatt, derives from “confusion between the poem and its origins” (''Verbal Icon'' 21) – essentially, it occurs when a critic puts too much emphasis on personal, biographical, or what he calls “external” information when analyzing a work (they note that this is essentially the same as the “
Genetic fallacy The genetic fallacy (also known as the fallacy of origins or fallacy of virtue) is a fallacy of irrelevance in which arguments or information are dismissed or validated based solely on their source of origin rather than their content. In other wor ...
” in philosophical studies; 21). Wimsatt and Beardsley consider this strategy a fallacy partly because it is impossible to determine the intention of the author — indeed, authors themselves are often unable to determine the “intention” of a poem — and partly because a poem, as an act that takes place between a poet and an audience, has an existence outside of both and thus its meaning can not be evaluated simply based on the intentions of or the effect on either the writer or the audience (see the section of this article entitled “The Affective Fallacy" for a discussion of the latter; 5). For Wimsatt and Beardsley, intentional criticism becomes subjective criticism, and so ceases to be criticism at all. For them, critical inquiries are resolved through evidence in and of the text — not “by consulting the oracle” (18).


Affective fallacy

The Affective fallacy (identified in the essay of the same name, which Wimsatt co-authored with
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
, as above) refers to “confusion between the poem and its ''results''” (''Verbal Icon 21''; italics in original). It refers to the error of placing too much emphasis on the effect that a poem has on its audience when analyzing it. Wimsatt and
Beardsley Beardsley may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places in the United States * Beardsley, Arizona, a populated place * Beardsley, Kansas, a ghost town * Beardsley, Minnesota, a city * Beardsley Canal, Kern County, California, an irrigation canal * Beardsley Creek, ...
argue that the effect of poetic language alone is an unreliable way to analyze poetry because, they contend, words have no effect in and of themselves, independent of their meaning. It is impossible, then, for a poem to be “pure emotion” (38), which means that a poem’s meaning is not “equivalent to its effects, especially its emotional impact, on the reader” (Leitch et al. 1371). As with the Intentional fallacy, engaging in affective criticism is too subjective an exercise to really warrant the label “criticism” at all — thus, for Wimsatt and
Beardsley Beardsley may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places in the United States * Beardsley, Arizona, a populated place * Beardsley, Kansas, a ghost town * Beardsley, Minnesota, a city * Beardsley Canal, Kern County, California, an irrigation canal * Beardsley Creek, ...
, it is a fallacy of analysis.


Concrete Universal

In “The Concrete Universal,” Wimsatt attempts to determine how specific or general (i.e., concrete or universal) a verbal representation must be in order to achieve a particular effect. What is the difference, for example, between referring to a “purple cow” and a “tan cow with a broken horn” (''Verbal Icon'' 74)? In addressing such questions, Wimsatt attempts to resolve what it is that makes
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
different from other forms of communication, concluding that “what distinguishes poetry from scientific or logical discourse is a degree of concreteness which does not contribute anything to the argument but is somehow enjoyable or valuable for its own sake.” For Wimsatt, poetry is “the vehicle of a metaphor which one boards heedless of where it runs, whether cross-town or downtown — just for the ride” (76).


The Domain of Criticism

In “The Domain of Criticism,” Wimsatt “ efendsthe domain of poetry and poetics from the encircling (if friendly) arm of the general aesthetician" (''Verbal Icon'' 221) – that is, he discusses the problems with discussing poetry in purely
aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...
terms. Wimsatt questions the ability of a poem to function aesthetically in the same way as a
painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
or
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
. For one, visual modes such as sculpture or painting are undertaken using materials that directly correlate with the object they represent — at least in terms of their “beauty.” A beautiful painting of an apple, for example, is done with beautiful paint. Verbal expression, however, does not function this way — as Wimsatt points out, there is no such thing as a “beautiful” or “ugly” word (or, at least, there is no general consensus as to how to apply such concepts in such a context; 228). There is no correlation between words and their subject, at least in terms of
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
— “the example of the dunghill (or equivalent object) beautifully described is one of the oldest in literary discussion” (228). More importantly, language does not function merely on the level of its effects on the senses, as (for example) visual modes do. A poem does not just derive its meaning from its
rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final Stress (linguistics), stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciou ...
and meter, but these are the domains of
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
(231) — to analyse
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
on the basis of its
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
, then, is insufficient if one is to adequately explore its meaning.


Major works


''The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry''

Written as a series of independent essays between 1941 and 1952, ''The Verbal Icon'' was finally published as a cohesive work (after Wimsatt revised some of the original versions) in 1954. Probably his most influential work, ''The Verbal Icon'' contains two of Wimsatt's most important essays, “The Intentional Fallacy” and “The Affective Fallacy” (co-authored with
Monroe Beardsley Monroe Curtis Beardsley ( ; December 10, 1915 – September 18, 1985) was an American philosopher of art. Biography Beardsley was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and educated at Yale University (B.A. 1936, Ph.D. 1939), where he ...
). Paul de Man offers a significant critique of Wimsatt's text, taken as an example of the understanding of the notion of 'autonomy' in New Criticism, in ''Blindness and Insight''.


''Hateful Contraries: Studies in Literature and Criticism''

Apparently concerned with the (admittedly lessened) influence of what he calls “Amateur Criticism,” Wimsatt published ''Hateful Contraries'' in 1965 as a way to “distinguish what econsider an inevitable and proper literary interest in the contraries” (Hateful Contraries xviii). Through studies of works by T. S. Eliot as well as discussions of topics such as “The Augustan Mode in English Poetry” and “The Criticism of Comedy” (xi), Wimsatt attempts to add to the efforts to justify and improve
literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...
(xix).


''Literary Criticism: A Short History''

Written with
Cleanth Brooks Cleanth Brooks ( ; October 16, 1906 – May 10, 1994) was an American literary critic and professor. He is best known for his contributions to New Criticism in the mid-20th century and for revolutionizing the teaching of poetry in American higher ...
in 1957, ''Literary Criticism: A Short History'' is intended as “a history of ideas about verbal art and about its elucidation and criticism” (Wimsatt and Brooks ix). The authors attempt to contribute to the “intelligibility in the history of literary argument” as well as “contributes to a distinct point of view,” which, they argue, is a necessary part of any historical literary studies (vii).


References

;Notes ;Sources * Davis, Robert Con, and Ronald Schleifer. ''Contemporary Literary Criticism: Literary and Cultural Studies''. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1989. * De Man, Paul. 'Form and Intent in the American New Criticism', in ''Blindness and Insight''. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 1983. * Dowling, William C. "The Gender Fallacy", in ''Theory's Empire: An Anthology of Dissent''. Ed. Daphne Patai and Will Corral. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. * Leitch, Vincent B., William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John McGowan, and Jeffrey J. Williams. “William K. Wimsatt Jr. and Monroe C. Beardsley.” ''The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism''. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001. 1371-1374. * Wimsatt, W. K. Jr. ''The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry''. Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press, 1954. * ---. ''Hateful Contraries: Studies in Literature and Criticism''. Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press, 1965. * Wimsatt, William K. Jr. and Cleanth Brooks. ''Literary Criticism: A Short History''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wimsatt, William 1907 births 1975 deaths American literary critics New Criticism Yale University faculty Yale Sterling Professors 20th-century American non-fiction writers American philosophers of art