Toward a discrimination of historicisms -- Literary history and literary criticism: literature's dual mode of existence -- pt. 1. American historicist tradition: Vernon Louis Parrington: an argument for historicism -- American Marxian literary theory: the search for critical certainty -- Creative mind and literary prophecy: the critical heritage of Van Wyck Brooks -- pt. 2. Rediscovery of historicism: John Crowe Ransom: principles fo a new historicism -- Meeting of opposites -- Roy harvey Pearce: the revitalizing of historicism -- Meeting of opposites -- Murray Krieger: the ambition of a new historicism -- Toward a new historicism.
