Fernand Baldensperger (1871-1958) and the "French School" of comparative literature

Fernand Baldensperger was a Germanist. In the beginning of the 20th century he played a prominent part in the development of Comparative Literature st udies, both in France and the United States. His works, primarily focused o n the works by Keller, Vigny, Goethe and Shakespeare. With Paul Hazard, he founded the Revue de Litterature Comparee in 1921. He was one of the great figure of the "French School" of comparative literature. Although this "sch ool" has been criticized (notably by Rene Wellek and Austin Warren), it may be considered as the source of our discipline.