Alexander Nikolayevich Veselovsky ( in Moscow -- in St. Petersburg ) was a leading Russian literary theorist who laid the foundations for comparative literature studies . Alexander Nikolayevich Veselovsky ( in Moscow -- in St. Petersburg ) was a leading Russian literary theorist who laid the groundwork for comparative literary studies . Alexander Nikolayevich Veselovsky ( in Moscow in St. Petersburg ) was a leading comparative literary theorist who laid the groundwork for Russian literary studies .