乔尔·伊莱亚斯·斯平加恩（Joel Elias Spingarn）是美国教育家和文学批评家，他曾任哥伦比亚大学比较文学教授，是美国比较文学的先驱，著有多部影响深远的作品。

　　《文艺复兴时期文学批评史（外国文学研究文库·第三辑）》提出了西方现代批评诞生于文艺复兴的观点，并按该时期文学批评产生的时间顺序呈现了意大利、法国及英国的文学批评状况和成就，着意强调了贺拉斯所代表的古典主义在现代批评产生过程中发挥的不可或缺的作用。1899年出版的这本厚重的专著为今天的读者了解和体认一百多年前的文学理论状态、认识文学批评的本质和发展轨迹，提供了一个价值独特的样本。

　　It has been seen that Varchi classed poetry with rational philosophy. The end of all arts and sciences is to make human life perfect and happy; but they differ in their modes of producing this result. Philosophy attains its end by teaching;rhetoric,by persuasion; history,by narration; poetry,by imitation or representation. The aim of the poet,therefore,is to make the human soul perfect and happy,and it is his office to imitate,that is,to invent and represent,things which render men virtuous,and consequently happy. Poetry attains this end more perfectly than any of the other arts or sciences,because it does so,not by means of precept,but by means of example.There are various ways of making men virtuous,- by teaching them what vice is and what virtue is,which is the province of ethics; by actually chastising vices and rewarding virtues,which is the province of law; or by example,that is,by the representation of virtuous men receiving suitable rewards for their virtue,and of vicious men receiving suitable punishments,which is the province of poetry. This last method is the most efficacious,because it is accompanied by delight. For men either can not or will not take the trouble to study sciences and virtues - nay,do not even like to be told what they should or should not do; but in hearing or reading poetic examples,not only is there no trouble,but there is the greatest delight,and no one can help being moved by the representation of characters who are rewarded or punished
　　according to an idealjustice.
　　For Varchi,then,as for Sir Philip Sidney later,the high importance of poetry is to be found in the fact that it teaches morality better than any other art,and the reason is that its instrument is not precept but example,which is the most delightful and hence the most efficacious of all means. The function of poetry is,therefore,a moral one,and it consists in removing the vices of men and inciting them to virtue.This twofold moral object of poetry - the removal of vices,which is passive,and the incitement to virtue,which is active - is admirably attained,for example,by Dante in his Divina Commedia; for in the Inferno evil men are so fearfully punished that we resolve to flee from every form of vice,and in the Paradiso virtuous men are so gloriously rewarded that we resolve to imitate every one of their perfections.
　　……

PART FIRST
LITERARY CRITICISM IN ITALY
I． THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM OF RENAISSANCE
CRITICISM ……………………………………………… 3
i． Medi？val Conceptions of Poetry．
ii． The Moral Justification of Poetry．
iii． The Final Justification of Poetry．
II． THE GENERAL THEORY OF POETRY IN THE ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE ……………………………………………24
i． Poetry as a Form of Scholastic Philosophy．
ii． Poetry as an Imitation of Life．
iii． The Function of Poetry．
III． THE THEORY OF THE DRAMA …………………………… 60
i． The Subject of Tragedy．
ii． The Function of Tragedy．
iii． The Characters of Tragedy．
iv． The Dramatic Unities．
v． Comedy．
IV． THE THEORY OF EPIC POETRY …………………………… 107
i． The Theory of the Epic Poem．
ii． Epic and Romance．
V． THE GROWTH OF THE CLASSIC SPIRIT IN ITALIAN
CRITICISM …………………………………………… 125
i． Humanism．
ii． Aristotelianism．
iii． Rationalism．
VI． ROMANTIC ELEMENTS IN ITALIAN CRITICISM ……………… 155
i． The Ancient Romantic Element．
ii． Medi？val Elements．
iii． Modern Elements．

PART SECOND
LITERARY CRITICISM IN FRANCE
I． THE CHARACTER AND DEVELOPMENT OF FRENCH CRITICISM IN
THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY …………………………… 171
i． Character．
ii． Development．
II． THE THEORY OF POETRY IN THE FRENCH RENAISSANCE ………190
i． The Poetic Art．
ii． The Drama．
iii． Heroic Poetry．
III． CLASSIC AND ROMANTIC ELEMENTS IN FRENCH CRITICISM
DURING THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY ……………………… 214
i． Classical Elements．
ii． Romantic Elements．
IV． THE FORMATION OF THE CLASSIC IDEAL IN THE
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ……………………………… 232
i． The Romantic Revolt．
ii． The Reaction against the Pléiade．
iii． The Second Influx of Italian Ideas．
iv． The Influence of Rationalistic Philosophy．

PART THIRD
LITERARY CRITICISM IN ENGLAND
I． THE EVOLUTION OF ENGLISH CRITICISM FROM ASCHAM T0
MILTON ……………………………………………… 253
II． THE GENERAL THEORY OF POETRY IN THE
ELIZABETHAN AGE …………………………………… 261
III． THE THEORY O