Michael Clune, the Samuel B. and Virginia C. Knight Professor of Humanities, penned an op-ed for The Chronicle of Higher Education about the nature of the literary studies field.
In his piece, titled “The Bizarro World of Literary Studies,” Clune explained two scandals that played a role in the field’s marginalization.
Clune argued in the piece that literary scholars must go back to the basics, respecting disciplinary boundaries and focusing on the study of literature and the method of close reading.