Murray Krieger
Murray Krieger was a notable American literary critic and professor, born on November 27, 1923, in Newark, New Jersey. His academic journey began at Rutgers University, but his studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the army in India. The experiences he encountered during the war sparked his interest in exploring the political dimensions of literature. After earning advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and Ohio State University, Krieger taught at several universities before joining the faculty at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in 1966.
Krieger is best known for his influential works, including *The New Apologists for Poetry* (1956) and *The Tragic Vision* (1960), which contributed significantly to the establishment of literary theory as a formal academic discipline. He was a prominent figure in the American New Critics movement, emphasizing close textual analysis while critiquing poststructuralism for its rejection of literary form and truth. Throughout his career, Krieger founded important institutions such as UCI's Critical Theory Institute and the School of Criticism and Theory. His legacy includes numerous publications, awards, and the profound impact he had on generations of students, solidifying his status as a pioneer in literary criticism before his passing on August 5, 2000.
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Murray Krieger
Literary Critic
- Born: November 27, 1923
- Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
- Died: August 5, 2000
- Place of death: Irvine, California
Biography
Murray Krieger was born on November 27, 1923, in Newark, New Jersey. In 1940, he enrolled at Rutgers University but after the United States entered World War II, he enlisted in the army, serving in India for two years. He later wrote that his wartime experiences with death and famine inspired an interest in the political dimensions of literature and art. Discharged from the army, he studied literature and literary criticism at the University of Chicago, where he received his B.A. and M.A. with high honors. After obtaining a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1952, he taught English and literary criticism at the universities of Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. In 1966, he joined the faculty of the University of California at Irvine (UCI).
In 1956, Krieger published The New Apologists for Poetry, which minimized historical and biographical scholarship in favor of a close examination of the literary text itself, emphasizing formalistic analysis. Krieger was recognized as a leading spokesman for the so-called American New Critics. His sophisticated analysis of epistemology and methods in the study of literature resulted in his second book, The Tragic Vision: Variation on a Theme in Literary Interpretation (1960), which called for thematic criticism that went beyond formalism. These two works helped established literary theory and criticism as an academic discipline within English departments.
By the 1970’s, Krieger was unhappy to see the growing movements of poststructuralism and deconstructionism, both of which downplayed philosophical rigor, literary form, and claims of truth as idealistic fantasies. Identifying with Anglo American humanism, Krieger emphasized that literature was fundamentally different from other forms of discourse. While criticizing poststructuralist theory in numerous essays, as in Words About Words About Words (1988), he did not hesitate to utilize the poststructural insights that he found helpful. In A Reopening of Closure: Organicism Against Itself (1989), he argued that many of these insights could be located implicitly within the humanistic tradition.
In addition to his teaching and writing, Krieger founded UCI’s nationally recognized Critical Theory Institute, which brought many eminent scholars to the campus. In 1976, he was cofounder of the School of Criticism and Theory, an international summer program that eventually moved to Cornell University. At UCI, he also founded the Consortium for Humanities Centers and Institutes. He won numerous awards, including the UCI Medal, the university’s highest honor, and the Humboldt Research Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany. Upon his retirement in 1994, he was named university research professor. He died on August 5, 2000.
During his long career, Krieger influenced hundreds of students and was the author of more than a dozen books. He is remembered as a pioneer and international authority in the field of literary theory. During his early career, he was a leading New Critic who helped to advance the approach of formalism. Although he remained an outspoken critic of poststructuralism, he increasingly respected the cultural context of literature and even acknowledged that complexity and paradox were major characteristics of his work.