A Website Devoted to the Study of the Historical Critique of Literary Illustration
Research on the history of pictorial literary illustration has been forthcoming copiously over the last twenty years, recognizing the importance of the visual arts for how literature is read. Surprisingly, however, the basic fact that, throughout history, the inclusion of visual images in publications of fictional literary texts has faced significant criticism still awaits comprehensive scholarly attention. On this website, we seek to provide answers to the following questions:
- Can we distinguish among the multitude of statements against literary illustration throughout history a certain number of basic types of critique?
- Is it possible to establish dates on which individual types of critique first emerged, and what can we say about the history of these criticisms?
- Can we identify broader cultural-historical patterns that help explain the emergence and disappearance of certain types of critique?
The content on this website reflects the preliminary findings of our ongoing research. The site will be updated and expanded as the research continues. Please check again soon.