Frenz, Horst, 1912-1990

Horst Frenz was a professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and English at Indiana University from 1940-1981, and served as chair of the Comparative Literature department from its creation in 1949 until 1977.

Born June 29, 1912, in Oberlauringen, Germany, Horst Frenz attended the University of Goettingen, where he received his Ph.D. in English in 1936. Frenz moved to the United States in 1938 to attend the University of Illinois receiving a MA in 1939.

Frenz came to I.U. in 1940 as an instructor in English, was promoted to assistant professor of world literature in 1945, associate professor in 1949, and full professor in 1954. Frenz retired in 1981. In 1949, Frenz helped establish the Comparative Literature program at IU, and he served as the first chairman from 1949 to 1977. In addition to these duties, in 1964 Dr. Frenz was named associate director of the School of Letters. Under the direction of Frenz, the Comparative Literature program was one of the first in the world to incorporate Asian-Western relations and an interdisciplinary approach into the curriculum.

Outside of IU, Frenz served as the president of the American Comparative Literature Association from 1971-1974, and president of the International Comparative Literature Association from 1973-1976. Frenz was the recipient of Fulbright, Ford Foundation and Guggenheim Foundation fellowships, and he served as Editor of the Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature. In addition to authoring Die Entwicklung des Sozialen Dramas in England vor Galsworthy in 1938, Frenz published and co-edited numerous articles in the fields of drama, comparative literature and American literature.