“First at University College Dublin and later at New York University, Professor Donoghue carved out a middle ground in the contested landscape of late-20th-century literary studies, standing opposed to both the politicized theories of the left and the traditionalist pieties of the right. He was an ardent opponent of deconstruction, and … [his] fierce aversion to the impositions of postmodern theory earned him a reputation as one of the last great humanist critics.” – The New York Times