On the concept of world literature Cover Image

On the concept of world literature
On the concept of world literature

Author(s): Anders Pettersson
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Studies of Literature, Translation Studies
Published by: Ústav svetovej literatúry, Slovenská akadémia vied
Keywords: World literature; The Cambridge History of World Literature; Ontology; Definition;

Summary/Abstract: The expression “world literature” is currently being used in several ways: about various culturally and temporally inclusive bodies of literature and about various ways of studying such literature. In the article, special attention is devoted to the editorial concept of world literature in The Cambridge History of World Literature (2021), edited by Debjani Ganguly. Formulations about world literature sometimes cast it as a mind-independent entity, sometimes as a scholarly construction. It is argued that the choice between these alternatives is important, since it has significant consequences for the logic of thinking and reasoning about world literature.

  • Issue Year: 14/2022
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 12-23
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English