Who was Harry Levin, and how did he help Paul de Man at Harvard?

Harry Levin was an influential professor of comparative literature at Harvard University.

Despite Paul de Man’s lack of an undergraduate degree, he impressed Levin during their conversations. Consequently, with a letter of recommendation from his colleague Ted Weiss, de Man was admitted as an unmatriculated student to Levin’s advanced seminar in comparative literature, where he performed well. This opportunity served as a crucial step in de Man's academic integration at Harvard, eventually leading to his formal admission into the graduate program.1