Specialisation and Institutionalisation: The Transnational Professionalisation of European Literary Criticism during the Interwar Period

This article explores two key aspects of European professional literary criticism in the interwar period: specialisation and institutionalisation. Specialisation was expressed through the willingness of literary magazines to explore foreign cultures and the emergence of professional ethics by literary critics. Institutionalisation comprised attempts by literary critics to organise themselves in professional bodies and the introduction of literary prizes. By looking at transnational connections of critics and literary magazines, the article will examine three areas: their role in cross-border professional networks; the creation of institutionalised inter-cultural networks; and the relationship between the professionalisation of literary criticism and modernity..