William Veeder
Encyclopedia
William Veeder is a scholar of 19th century American and British literature and a Professor Emeritus
in the Department of English at the University of Chicago
.
to Virginia Holderness and author William H. Veeder. He grew up in Arlington, Virginia.
, and then spent two years at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop
, where he earned his M.F.A.. Veeder received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969, and joined the faculty at the University of Chicago
that same year.
and gender theory, but he is also a strong advocate of close reading
, a critical approach whereby “one gets to content through form”. He is guided by a quote from an art criticism essay written by Henry James
, in which James
asserted, “In the arts, feeling is always meaning.” Veeder begins his classes with this quote, usually underlining the words “always” and "meaning” and capitalizing the word “always.”
and Emma Frances Dawson, which as of 2005 was unpublished and nameless.
Veeder's publications include:
His essays have appeared in:
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
in the Department of English at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Early life
William Veeder was born on September 14, 1940, in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
to Virginia Holderness and author William H. Veeder. He grew up in Arlington, Virginia.
Education
William Veeder completed his undergraduate studies at Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, and then spent two years at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
, where he earned his M.F.A.. Veeder received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969, and joined the faculty at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
that same year.
Critical methodology
William Veeder’s critical methodology is primarily rooted in psychoanalysisPsychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
and gender theory, but he is also a strong advocate of close reading
Close reading
Close reading describes, in literary criticism, the careful, sustained interpretation of a brief passage of text. Such a reading places great emphasis on the particular over the general, paying close attention to individual words, syntax, and the order in which sentences and ideas unfold as they...
, a critical approach whereby “one gets to content through form”. He is guided by a quote from an art criticism essay written by Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
, in which James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
asserted, “In the arts, feeling is always meaning.” Veeder begins his classes with this quote, usually underlining the words “always” and "meaning” and capitalizing the word “always.”
Works
Veeder has been working for over 25 years on a historical novel about Ambrose BierceAmbrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
and Emma Frances Dawson, which as of 2005 was unpublished and nameless.
Veeder's publications include:
- Henry James, the Lessons of the Master: Popular Fiction and Personal Style in the Nineteenth Century. U of Chicago P, 1975.
- The Woman Question: Society and Literature in Britain and America, 1837–1883, Volume 1: Defining Voices. Elizabeth K. Helsinger, Robin Lauterbach Sheets, William Veeder. U of Chicago P, 1989, c1983.
- The Woman Question: Society and Literature in Britain and America, 1837–1883, Volume 2: Social Issues. Elizabeth K. Helsinger, Robin Lauterbach Sheets, William Veeder. U of Chicago P, 1989, c1983.
- Mary Shelley & Frankenstein: the Fate of Androgyny. U of Chicago P, 1986.
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: After One Hundred Years. Edited by William Veeder and Gordon Hirsch. U of Chicago P, 1988.
- Art of Criticism. Edited by William Veeder and Susan M. Griffin. U of Chicago P, 1988.
His essays have appeared in:
- The Henry James ReviewThe Henry James ReviewThe Henry James Review is an academic journal founded in 1980 and is the official publication of the Henry James Society. The HJR is dedicated to the scholarly, critical, and theoretical study of the American writer Henry James. Each issue focuses on a specific theme of interest and seeks to...
- New essays on The portrait of a lady. Edited by Joel Porte. Cambridge University Press, 1990.
- Henry James: the shorter fiction, reassessments. Edited by N.H. Reeve. St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
- American gothic: new interventions in a national narrative. Edited by Robert K. Martin & Eric Savoy. University of Iowa Press, c1998.
- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Edited and introduced by Harold Bloom.
External links
- http://catalog.uchicago.edu/divisions/english-courses.html