William Veeder (born September 14, 1940) is a scholar of 19th-century American and British literature and a Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at the University of Chicago.
William Veeder completed his undergraduate studies at Notre Dame, and then spent two years at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts.
William Veeder’s critical methodology is primarily rooted in psychoanalysis and gender theory, but he is also a strong advocate of close reading, a critical approach whereby “one gets to content through form”.
[1] He is guided by a quote from an art criticism essay written by Henry James, in which James asserted, “In the arts, feeling is always meaning.” Veeder begins his classes with this quote, usually underlining the words “always” and "meaning” and capitalizing the word “always.”[2] Veeder has been working for over 40 years on a historical novel named "Pierce" about Ambrose Bierce and Emma Frances Dawson, which as of 2023 was unpublished.
[1] Veeder's publications include: His essays have appeared in: