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World Literature Research Paper Topics

World literature research paper topics are essential for students and scholars to understand the breadth and depth of the literary world across different cultures and time periods. This area of study encompasses a wide range of topics, from ancient literature to contemporary works, reflecting the interconnectedness of human experiences across the globe. Understanding world literature not only provides insights into the cultural and societal contexts of various regions, but it also reveals the common themes and motifs that unite us as humans. By exploring these topics, researchers contribute to a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the world’s literary heritage.

100 World Literature Research Paper Topics

Exploring the vast array of world literature research paper topics is pivotal for students and scholars to gain a comprehensive understanding of the diverse cultural, social, and philosophical narratives that have shaped the world. World literature serves as a reflection of the experiences, struggles, and aspirations of people from various civilizations to modern societies.

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Get 10% off with 24start discount code, ancient literature.

• The evolution of epic poetry in different ancient civilizations
• Depictions of deities in ancient literature
• The impact of ancient Egyptian literature on subsequent cultures
• Themes of love and loss in ancient Greek texts
• The significance of tragedy in ancient Roman literature
• Portrayals of heroes and heroines in ancient literary works
• Representations of war and peace in ancient literature
• The role of mythology in shaping ancient literature
• The depiction of women in ancient literary texts
• The development of narrative forms in ancient literature

Medieval Literature

• The significance of chivalry in medieval literature
• The impact of Christianity on medieval texts
• Representations of monarchs in medieval literature
• Themes of honor and betrayal in medieval works
• Depictions of the supernatural in medieval literature
• The role of allegory in medieval texts
• The influence of troubadours and minstrels on medieval literature
• Portrayals of love and courtship in medieval works
• The significance of pilgrimage in medieval literature
• The impact of Arthurian legends on medieval literature

Renaissance Literature

• The influence of humanism on Renaissance literature
• Depictions of nature in Renaissance poetry
• The role of women in Renaissance literature
• Themes of love and beauty in Renaissance works
• The impact of the Reformation on Renaissance literature
• The development of drama during the Renaissance
• Representations of politics and power in Renaissance literature
• The significance of pastoral literature during the Renaissance
• The role of classical antiquity in shaping Renaissance literature
• The influence of Italian Renaissance literature on other European literatures

Enlightenment Literature

• The role of reason and rationality in Enlightenment literature
• Depictions of society and social norms in Enlightenment works
• The impact of the scientific revolution on Enlightenment literature
• Themes of freedom and liberty in Enlightenment literature
• The role of satire in Enlightenment literature
• Representations of monarchy and authority in Enlightenment works
• The influence of the Enlightenment on the development of the novel
• The significance of travel literature during the Enlightenment
• The impact of the Enlightenment on women writers
• The role of the Enlightenment in shaping modern philosophy

Romantic Literature

• The role of nature in Romantic literature
• Depictions of the individual in Romantic literature
• The influence of the French Revolution on Romantic literature
• Themes of love and passion in Romantic works
• The role of the supernatural in Romantic literature
• Representations of history and the past in Romantic literature
• The influence of Romanticism on music and art
• The significance of Gothic literature during the Romantic period
• The impact of Romanticism on nationalist movements
• The role of Romanticism in the development of modern poetry

19th-Century Literature

• The impact of industrialization on 19th-century literature
• Depictions of society and social change in 19th-century works
• The role of realism in 19th-century literature
• Themes of alienation and isolation in 19th-century literature
• The significance of the Bildungsroman in 19th-century literature
• Representations of women and gender in 19th-century literature
• The influence of 19th-century literature on the development of the modern novel
• The role of colonialism and imperialism in 19th-century literature
• The impact of 19th-century literature on the development of modern psychology
• The significance of 19th-century literature in shaping modern political thought

20th-Century Literature

• The impact of world wars on 20th-century literature
• Depictions of modernity and urban life in 20th-century works
• The role of existentialism in 20th-century literature
• Themes of disillusionment and despair in 20th-century literature
• The significance of modernism in 20th-century literature
• Representations of race and ethnicity in 20th-century literature
• The influence of postcolonial literature in the 20th century
• The role of postmodernism in 20th-century literature
• The impact of the digital age on 20th-century literature
• The significance of feminist literature in the 20th century

Contemporary Literature

• The impact of globalization on contemporary literature
• Depictions of multiculturalism and diversity in contemporary works
• The role of technology in contemporary literature
• Themes of identity and belonging in contemporary literature
• The significance of posthumanism in contemporary literature
• Representations of migration and displacement in contemporary literature
• The influence of contemporary literature on popular culture
• The role of fantasy and science fiction in contemporary literature
• The impact of social media on contemporary literature
• The significance of environmentalism in contemporary literature

Comparative Literature

• The influence of one literary tradition on another
• Comparative analysis of themes across different literary traditions
• The role of translation in the spread of world literature
• Comparative analysis of literary forms across different cultures
• The significance of intertextuality in comparative literature
• Comparative analysis of representations of gender in different literatures
• The influence of religion on literature across different cultures
• Comparative analysis of the role of mythology in different literatures
• The impact of colonialism on literature across different regions
• Comparative analysis of the role of history in different literatures

Literary Theory

• The influence of postcolonial theory on the interpretation of world literature
• The role of feminist theory in shaping contemporary world literature
• The impact of psychoanalytic theory on the interpretation of world literature
• The significance of structuralism and poststructuralism in world literature
• The role of deconstruction in the analysis of world literature
• The influence of reader-response theory on the interpretation of world literature
• The impact of intertextuality on the understanding of world literature
• The role of queer theory in the analysis of world literature
• The influence of eco-criticism on the interpretation of world literature
• The significance of cultural studies in shaping the understanding of world literature

Delving into world literature research paper topics is a crucial academic exercise and a journey into the collective human experiences across time and space. Analyzing the different aspects of world literature, from ancient to contemporary texts, provides a deeper understanding of the cultures, societies, and philosophies that have shaped our world. It also allows us to reflect on the common themes and motifs that connect us as humans, despite our diverse backgrounds. Therefore, researching world literature is a vital step towards fostering global understanding and empathy.

World Literature

And the range of research paper topics it offers.

World literature is an expansive term that encompasses the totality of literary works, both ancient and contemporary, from different regions, cultures, and languages around the globe. It includes not only the canonical texts of the Western tradition but also the often overlooked or marginalized works from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The study of world literature allows for a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the human experience, as it examines the various ways in which different cultures have engaged with similar themes, narratives, and literary forms. This richness and diversity of world literature make it a fertile ground for a wide range of research paper topics.

The study of world literature research paper topics involves the analysis of various epochs of literature. From ancient civilizations, where literature was often orally transmitted or written on clay tablets and papyrus scrolls, to the medieval period, characterized by the production of manuscripts and the emergence of vernacular languages, and then to the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Romantic periods, which saw the development of the printing press and the rise of the novel, drama, and poetry. Each epoch presents its unique set of literary works, themes, styles, and authors that have contributed to the development of world literature.

Furthermore, world literature involves the exchange of themes and styles across cultures. A theme common in one culture’s literature can often be found, with variations, in another culture’s literature. For example, the theme of love, which is prevalent in Western literature, can also be found in Persian, Chinese, and African literatures, albeit with different nuances and interpretations. Similarly, the style of magical realism, which is often associated with Latin American literature, can be found in works from other regions, such as Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children or Yann Martel’s Life of Pi . This exchange of themes and styles not only enriches world literature but also provides a plethora of research paper topics that can be explored.

Translations and adaptations also play a crucial role in world literature. They make literary works accessible to a global audience and facilitate the exchange of ideas, themes, and narratives across cultures. However, translation is not a straightforward process. It involves not only the conversion of words from one language to another but also the adaptation of cultural references, idioms, and nuances. This often leads to debates about the fidelity and authenticity of translations, as well as discussions about the role of the translator as a mediator between cultures. Moreover, adaptations, whether they are film, theater, or other literary works, often involve a re-interpretation or re-imagination of the original text, which can lead to new meanings, themes, or perspectives. These issues make translations and adaptations a rich area for research paper topics in world literature.

In conclusion, the study of world literature offers a diverse range of research paper topics that can be explored by students and scholars alike. From the analysis of various epochs of literature to the exchange of themes and styles across cultures, and the role of translations and adaptations, world literature is a vast and rich field of study that provides a deeper understanding of the global literary landscape. Furthermore, delving into world literature research paper topics is not only an academic exercise but also a journey into the collective human experiences that have shaped, and continue to shape, our world.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section World Literature

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World Literature by Sowon Park , Jernej Habjan LAST REVIEWED: 24 April 2019 LAST MODIFIED: 25 July 2023 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780190221911-0025

As a global academic branch of studies, world literature emerged around the turn of the millennium, though thinking about literature with reference to “world,” however defined, can be traced back to at least two hundred years earlier. The underlying factors for the emergence of world literature studies are many. The end of the Cold War and the rise of non-Western economies, the advent of a global literary marketplace, and the proliferation of digital platforms are seen as some of its preconditions. In general terms, the expansion of world literature can be seen to reflect the rapid integration of the world into a single market. As a field of inquiry, world literature continues to grow in response to the problems encountered by teachers, students, and readers in their daily contact with literature from around the world. Historically, a prevalent way of thinking about world literature in the Western literary tradition was as the selection of masterpieces from around the world. This serviceable notion was, however, shown to fall below its own theoretical requirement and to be clearly in need of revision, since the “world,” in practice, referred to the “First World,” and world literature had simply been another name for the classics from the five major European states—Britain, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy—and from Russia and the United States. The urgent need to acknowledge and validate occluded regions of the non-Western world as unique literary and historical spaces that contribute to the whole has necessitated an altogether different framework for theorizing concepts such as language, nation, and masterpieces. In its current form, world literature studies aspires to overcome some of the problems that have arisen from the methods and procedures of traditional nation-based literary studies, as well as to address unresolved tensions within comparative literary studies, which have sometimes implicitly equated world literature with European literature. In this it overlaps with critiques of cultural imperialism and Eurocentrism raised by postcolonial studies. Where it differs markedly is in its thinking about the global system of literary production, dissemination, and evaluation beyond Europe and its former colonies, and in its focus on the methodological issues that emerge from the barely manageable inundation of literary texts now made available by digital multimedia platforms. In this effort, world literature studies is often joined by other recently established disciplines, especially globalization studies, translation studies, cosmopolitanism studies, and transnationalism studies.

Scholarly work on world literature often takes the form of either anthology or theoretical study. General overviews, which are limited to either cumulative sampling or theoretical reflection, are thus rare. The renewed interest in world literature around 2000, however, has resulted in monographs that can serve also or primarily as general overviews of world literature. This is the main aim of D’haen 2012 , a detailed history of the terminological, conceptual, pedagogical, and geopolitical aspects of world literature; Goethe’s definitions, Pascale Casanova’s and Franco Moretti’s theories, and European and US-American academe are given special attention. Similarly, Pizer 2006 focuses on the theoretical reception and pedagogical institutionalization of Goethe’s notion of world literature. The problem of teaching world literature is also a concern of Damrosch 2009 , where readers of world literature are offered ways of appreciating texts linguistically or culturally, or formally challenging them while learning to recognize their universal features. Gupta 2009 examines the roles of English studies, world literature studies, and translation policies in the collaboration between globalization scholars and literary scholars; it adds to the dialogue by focusing on the relation between globalization and literature. Globalization is also at the center of Helgesson and Thomsen 2020 , a more recent introduction to world literature and globalization that examines new approaches to digital humanities and world literature, ecologies of world literature, translation, and race and political economy.

Damrosch, David. How to Read World Literature . Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

A practical companion to Damrosch 2003 (cited under Turn of the Millennium ), where world literature is defined primarily as a mode of reading across national boundaries, this book suggests ways of reading literary works whose language, cultural context, or genre seems foreign to the contemporary English-language reader.

D’haen, Theo. The Routledge Concise History of World Literature . London: Routledge, 2012.

This compendious and accessible presentation of world literature traces the history of the notion, its recent theorizations, and its institutionalization in comparative literary studies, world literature courses, and translation studies. It also addresses the relationship between world literature and postcolonial and postmodern literatures.

Gupta, Suman. Globalization and Literature . Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2009.

Gupta presents and intervenes in the recent debates in globalization studies and literary studies. Focusing on the relationship between the two disciplines, as well as between their respective objects of study, he addresses the lack of scholarly collaboration and sees in globalization both the prevalent condition for and a theme of contemporary literature.

Helgesson, Stefan, and Mads Rosendahl Thomsen. Literature and the World . London: Routledge, 2020.

Helgesson and Thomsen provide a brief history of world literature studies as well as a series of case studies from around the world. They discuss world literature in relation to digital humanities, ecology, literary form, translation, and political economy. Their concluding dialogue is dedicated to the future of world literature studies.

Pizer, John. The Idea of World Literature: History and Pedagogical Practice . Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2006.

Combining historical presentation with programmatic intervention, Pizer argues for and exemplifies the adoption of a Goethean dialectical approach to world literature in US academia. To this end, he offers concise accounts both of the academic reception of Goethe’s approach and of contemporary courses on world literature in English translation.

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World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650

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Laura Getty, North Georgia College & State University

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Reviewed by Suzanne Bessenger, Associate Professor, Randolph College on 12/3/19

The text provides a selection of texts appropriate to a survey of Asian religions course. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text provides a selection of texts appropriate to a survey of Asian religions course.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Translations are accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The text's translations are antiquated, but not so much so that they would be unusable in an undergraduate classroom.

Clarity rating: 4

Again, the translations are antiquated, which makes them not as accessible as more recent translations. They remain usable, however. The introductions to each region from which the texts are drawn are short, but clear.

Consistency rating: 5

The formatting and quality of the book is consistent throughout.

Modularity rating: 3

Unfortunately, this book is only available as three PDFs. The reader thus needs to scroll down through each PDF to find the appropriate page. Hypertext links would improve the navigability of the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is clearly organized by geographical region, with each book section beginning with short descriptions of historical eras and regions.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is a PDF document. Although this format makes for slow navigability, it has the virtue of being free of interface problems.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

In my perusal of the text, I encountered no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is a survey of world literature, and thus is inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and cultures. In my perusal of the text, I encountered nothing insensitive.

Reviewed by Rebecca Sailor, Professor, Humanities, Aims Community College on 6/24/19

This book comprehensively covers ancient literature to 1600 with key works. read more

This book comprehensively covers ancient literature to 1600 with key works.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This book draws from high quality translations. The authors combine translations and make improvements when needed.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book will maintain longevity for some time; these works will not fade in terms of importance.

This text combines the best free texts available to date. There are more accessible, fresh versions of many of these stories, but they are unlikely to be able to provided for free.

The book is consistent with a reliable structure: effective introductions and reading questions are present at each new section.

This book is effective in terms of modularity; there are clear sections provided in the table of contents, but it would be easy to create a class according to different modules such as geography, heroes/epics, etc. However, because the texts are provided in their entirety, they are quite long. This could make it difficult to create shorter thematic sections around topics.

This text is clearly organized around geographical locations, and there are excellent introductions to each chapter. Textual notes on the part of the authors help to provide context.

Interface rating: 3

The interface is not significantly flawed, but there is some room for improvement. For example, adding document links that hop from the table of contents (TOC) to the page where the selection begins (and links that hop from the end of a selection back to the TOC) would help the reader navigate more quickly when searching for something, since this .pdf quite lengthy. Additionally, adding subsections to the TOC would help the reader navigate more quickly. For example, if there are multiple books or translations in each work, having the TOC list those subsections/page numbers would be helpful.

This work is excellently edited.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This edition reflects ample diversity. However, there is an opportunity to add even more sources; for example, poetry of Sappho and the Book of the Dead might be nice additions.

I'm grateful that this book has been created and provided for students' and instructors' use. It is extremely convenient to have these sources combined for use in literature, humanities, and history courses. Thank you!

Reviewed by Jessica Tvordi, Associate Professor, Southern Utah University on 8/2/18

For a compact anthology, this title is comprehensive in in coverage of world literature—from Ancient Greece and Rome, to Asia and India, to medieval and Renaissance Europe, to Native American texts of the New World. Unfortunately, it does not... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

For a compact anthology, this title is comprehensive in in coverage of world literature—from Ancient Greece and Rome, to Asia and India, to medieval and Renaissance Europe, to Native American texts of the New World. Unfortunately, it does not include any women writers, which is beyond unfortunate given that they work acknowledges in its introduction the importance of some of these works in examining the roles of women. If I used any one of the texts three sections, I would need to supplement, especially for Part 3.

The content is accurate, error-free, and unbiased to the best of my knowledge (given the anthology's historical scope).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The authors successfully situate the literary works within the broader culture, history, and geopolitics of the ancient world through the Renaissance in a way that is informative and unbiased. Thus, subsequent research on these areas would not render the work obsolete, and any changes to the framework for the anthology of texts would be minimal. The lack of women writers, however, may make this text seem outdated to some potential adopters.

Clarity rating: 5

The introductory sections are written clearly, and will be easily accessible to undergraduate students. The text is low in jargon, and the tone seems geared toward sophomore or less experienced students—maybe even non-majors.

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework across the three parts.

Modularity rating: 5

I think the text is successful in this regard, keeping in my that this is not a textbook conveying information but rather an anthology of literary works. For that reason, there are large blocks of text without subheadings, but there's really no way to avoid that.

The organization makes sense and is consistence across the the parts or volumes of the text.

The text has no interface issues—it is easy to navigate and created no confusion for the reader.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text is culturally relevant with regards to nation and ethnicity, but excludes women writers, which will make this book less competitive than the conventionally published anthologies which have been addressing this issue for decades.

I found the student engagement questions included in each part very helpful and relevant. The writers are very attuned to the needs/limitations of undergraduate readers of classic literature, and this is something I would like to see in more anthologies. I also appreciate that the text is set up to be used thematically and comparatively—again, the writers have offered something that the instructor usually has to work out herself.

Reviewed by Rachael Hammond, Lecturer, Shenandoah University on 5/21/18

Creating a text such as this one could be daunting. The text is already separated into three pdf’s, so including more texts could become unwieldy at some point. Including more introductory notes on form might be helpful. Those already... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Creating a text such as this one could be daunting. The text is already separated into three pdf’s, so including more texts could become unwieldy at some point.

Including more introductory notes on form might be helpful. Those already provided are strongly composed and quite helpful. For instance, the introduction to Homer provides great background information on the consistent appreciation for Homer’s writing talents. However, the note, if longer, could address the beauty of the original poems, especially since the translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey are in a prose-like form. At the same time, thought, the poetic translation of The Aeneid, which is included, does provide counterpoint lessons not only on approaches to epic storytelling but also on approaches to translation work itself.

Also, perhaps including more Dante and even just a few samples of Boethius and Petrarch could enliven the European portion of the second book, particularly inasmuch as they could further exemplify the shift from medieval European to the Renaissance European cultural mindsets. The pictures accompanying the Canterbury Tales are great; including some introductory notes on illuminated manuscripts and the craft of writing could enliven that portion of the text while also positioning a great comparison with how that craft developed and evolved in other key cultures featured in the text.

The third book ably crosses the Atlantic, with the inclusion of various Native American pieces. They deliver wonderful examples for demonstrating both a contrast of cultural perspectives as well as a commentary on the universal human experience. Including some Francis Bacon in the third book could prove a meaningful addition, as well, especially given the rise of the essay.

Otherwise, including samples of South America and Africa could further strengthen the text’s comprehensives while also offering professors opportunities for still more comparisons of mythologies. –But again, as the books are already lengthy, decisions about what to include must certainly be difficult.

Translations comprise the bulk of the textbook. The translators include both recent quality translations as well as those long-revered (such as Samuel Butler). Editorial acumen seems exhaustive and precise.

Both the texts themselves and the introductory sections are relevant, particularly for a world literature or an ancient literature course. The editors’ notes are clear and gently illuminate the timeless relevance of the text’s contents. The works included in this book are timeless classics that comment on universal literary themes. In addition, the works provide great grounding for students who need to develop their ability to recognize Classical allusions in other literary works.

The translations and unit introductions are clear. The text also includes some helpful tools to help students in better understanding the works of literature and the cultures of the authors and original readers/listeners. For instance, the introduction to The Aeneid includes a helpful chart that helps students to understand the comparisons of the Greek versus the Roman forms of the ancient gods.

Consistency rating: 4

The three books demonstrate an effort to balance both the cultures and the genres represented in the given time period.

The text is clearly delineated in the table of contents, allowing professors to use the text either in a cultural approach, an historical approach, a thematic approach, and/or a form or genre approach.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The introduction itself read, “A word to the instructor: The texts have been chosen with the idea that they can be compared and contrasted, using common themes.” The text does follow through on this claim, and it complements my plan for an ancient literature course that I am designing. The flow is logical, and the text is organized in a manner that allows professors to assign readings in any way that seems more appropriate for the given course.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is user friendly. The unit introductions generally include engaging images and photographs. They enliven the screen, which is especially helpful as this book is quite sizeable. (Some free online sources do not seem to include many or any images, so the inclusion here is a visual treat for the professor and could help to improve the readability for students who might other wise experience some screen fatigue.) Using the command-F or the control-F short cut, depending on your computer type, is a helpful tool for navigating large texts such as these.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The grammar use, overall, is both strong and graceful. The text’s tone is sometimes conversational; however, since some students might consider these works daunting, the conversational tone, combined with the occasional vivid images, might put such students at greater ease.

The text seems to navigate aspects of cultural difference with much ease. –Given the nature of this book’s content, that is important. In fact, some of the introductory notes provide suggestions for assignments and activities that will help students to consider cultural and historical differences, in an objective manner, while studying these texts. However, placing the two versions of the Bible before Gilgamesh could appear as a hierarchical decision to some readers who might date Gilgamesh earlier and thus place it earlier in the anthology.

The appendices include very helpful links to the original texts. I found the text helpful and plan include it in an undergraduate ancient literature course that I will be teaching in a few months. Overall, the text provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking anthology of many of the world's greatest texts.

Reviewed by Aimee Barrios, Instructor, Southeastern Louisiana University on 6/20/17

The text covers an impressive range of materials, but the omission of Middle Eastern and African literature, especially The Arabian Nights, is glaring. The index is effective, but the commentary and annotation are weak. More textual support... read more

The text covers an impressive range of materials, but the omission of Middle Eastern and African literature, especially The Arabian Nights, is glaring. The index is effective, but the commentary and annotation are weak. More textual support (guided discussion questions, etc.) would be helpful.

No errors in content were noted, and the text seems unbiased.

The content is very relevant. The author did a good job of choosing texts that are seminal and clearly influential. The thematic overview is also helpful.

The writing level is actually quite accessible which is helpful for non-majors who might be required to take a World Lit course. More context would be useful.

The text seems consistent in terminology, framework and formatting

Modularity rating: 4

The divisions in the text work well, but the excerpts are too long. For example, including two versions of the bible without annotation is not very useful. Breaking up long sections of text with comprehension questions would be helpful to reluctant readers.

The ordering was a little confusing at parts. For example, the Hebrew text is presented before Gilgamesh which is confusing since Gilgamesh predates it by so many years. Annotation between selections to transition and draw comparisons would be useful.

The text was easy to navigate; the visuals were helpful and easy to enlarge on a screen. I found it frustrating to navigate within long selections, however. A sidebar with hyperlinks would help a lot. Also, is it possible to embed video ciips in the text to break up the reading and reenforce comprehension?

There were no obvious grammatical errors in this text.

There were no selections by women writers and no African texts. A pre-colonial text, like the Epic of Son Sara, would provide a good perspective.

Reviewed by Albrecht Classen, Univ. Distinguished Prof., University of Arizona on 2/8/17

The scope of this textbook is huge, trying to cover the early history of literature in Europe, the Middle East, India, Japan, and China, extending from the ancient period to the end of the fifteenth century. The authors have made a selection that... read more

The scope of this textbook is huge, trying to cover the early history of literature in Europe, the Middle East, India, Japan, and China, extending from the ancient period to the end of the fifteenth century. The authors have made a selection that presents, indeed, some of the most important texts composed in those areas and periods. So we find the Old Testament, the epic of Gilgamesh, The Tale of Genji, and others. No one can be an expert and we constantly face huge challenges when we cross cultural borders. This textbook takes students to many different worlds, and at the end of the course they will probably be well informed about the truly major texts produced then and there. I wonder, however, whether those huge reading sections are the best in conveying to students the complexity and richness of the material. While scrolling through the book, I got rather irritated about the vastness of the material, considering that so many cultures and periods need to be considered. Does it make sense to ask students to read such long sections? I am afraid that they will not do that anyway, esp. not with an online textbook. We can applaud the authors to be so ambitious, but it would have been much more useful if there had been small pieces along with a thorough group of guiding questions. There are brief introductions, but they often do not say very much. Wherever I felt more like an expert, I was rather disappointed about the low quality of those remarks. But altogether, the selection is pretty comprehensive in what the editors intend. But many other texts could have been utilized, especially those written by women, which are not presented here. A discussion about this would have been helpful.

Since the intros. are fairly short and general, there is not much to be worried about. The students get basic facts, but mostly they are left wondering what the texts might be about and why they are supposed to read them. There are virtually no efforts to didacticize them.

The entire concept of world literature is a good one, but it comes with a lot of problems because the essential idea is to compare those texts with each other. But the cultural and historical background is so vastly different. I am afraid that students will get bored very quickly, esp. because they will not be able to recognize the significance of the texts. They are all certainly relevant, but how would the beginner know this? Basically, it might be much cheaper and easier to ask students to purchase individual textbooks or to read the texts online in other databases.

Overall, well done, very clear structure, clear introductions. However, it is very difficult to scroll through this book, there are no hyperlinks, one cannot jump from one text to the other, apart from doing a global search. Using this book on my laptop was very difficult and uncomfortable; easier on the PC. The authors write in a very clear, accessible English.

This is the kind of textbook that were produced over the last decades, and the intros. and other accompanying texts are clear and understandable. There is no particular jargon, so this is good for freshmen students.

Modularity rating: 2

Not at all; there are huge junks of text, and one cannot easily work through the sections to move on.

The structure is well done, geographical and chronological order are good.

Interface rating: 1

The interface is practically not existent. Why is this even an online book? Nothing of the powers of the hyperlink system is utilized. The images and maps are nice, but I feel frustrated that the image on the cover, the Ebstorf World Map, is not even identified. This goes back to the same issues; this is a textbook with no pedagogical strategies and hardly any didacticizing efforts, apart from a few very general questions.

I did not observe any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

The issue of cultural relevance is hardly mentioned, and the readers will not easily understand why this text selection has been made. The instructor will have to work very hard on his/her own to utilize those texts in the classroom and to build connections between the Western and the Eastern sections.

Table of Contents

Middle East, Near East, Greece

• Hebrew Bible, “Genesis” and “Exodus”
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• The Iliad and The Odyssey
• Oedipus the king
• The Apology of Socrates
• The Analects
• The Art of War
• The Book of Songs
• The Mother of Mencius
• The Zhuangzi
• The Bhagavad Gita
• The Mahabharata
• The Ramayana
• Metamorphoses

Bibliography Appendix

Ancillary Material

• Ancillary materials are available by contacting the author or publisher .

About the Book

This peer-reviewed World Literature I anthology includes introductory text and images before each series of readings. Sections of the text are divided bytimeperiod in three parts: the Ancient World, Middle Ages, and Renaissance, and then divided into chapters by location.

About the Contributors

Laura Getty is an English professor at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, GA. 

Kyounghye Kwon is an assistant professor in the English department at the University of North Georgia. She received her doctoral degree in English and her certificate in Theatre and Performance from The Ohio State University. Her teaching and research areas include world literature, postcolonial studies, Asian/Asian American studies, gender studies, and performance studies. Her current research focuses on how Korean traditional puppet theatre preserves, alters, and adapts Korea's pre-colonial/indigenous memory in its performance repertoires for contemporary audiences, with particular attention to indigenous memory, gender, and the changing nature of the audience. She is co-editor of Compact Anthology of World Literature (UNGP, 2015), an open access textbook funded by a Complete College Georgia Grant. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Asian Theatre Journal, Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Theatre Survey, Theatre Journal, Pinter Et Cetera, and Text & Presentation.

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Wlt : world literatures, getting started.

• Articles/Databases
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• Primary Sources
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Welcome to the World Literature Research Guide!  Here, you will find a variety of resources that have been chosen specifically for the research of World Literature. On this page, you will find the best bets for any initial research of your research topic. From there, you can explore the other tabs as you dig deeper into your research. 

• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries
• Biographical Sources
• Encyclopedia of Literature [Wiley/Blackwell]
• Perseus Digital Library
• Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
• Oxford Dictionary of African Biography
• DARE: Dictionary of American Regional English This link opens in a new window Documents words, phrases & pronunciations that vary regionally across the United States.
• Oxford Language Dictionaries Online This link opens in a new window Unabridged bilingual dictionaries for English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese & Arabic, with native speaker audio pronunciation.
• Bilingual Dictionaries [Oxford]
• Conjugate Verbs Online
• Web of Online Dictionaries
• Dictionary of Literary Biography [Gale] This link opens in a new window Lengthy literary biographies by recognized literary scholars and critics, covering past & present authors, historians, journalists, screenwriters, publishers, and playwrights.

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Comparative and World Literature

Comparative and World Literature explores an increasingly inclusive and diverse “planetary” array of “world literatures” in the most linguistically and culturally specific senses of the term. Encouraging critical analysis of literary genres, literary and cultural histories, theories, and methodologies both within and across different linguistic, literary, cultural, philosophical, economic, political, scientific, and technological contexts, the field bridges time periods and geographic regions, languages and cultures, hermeneutics and poetics.

Welcoming transnational, transcultural research in and across all genres including hybrid, cross-genre, cross-disciplinary, multi- and intermedial works that challenge singular generic identifications, Comparative and World Literature continually asks how what we call “literature” engages with and responds to other discourses and disciplines, and what the borders of such a complex, ever-changing object of study might be. 

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World Literature: Theories in the Context of Globalization

Image credit: Greg Gershman via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

When we think of globalization and forms of entertainment, we immediately think of the Internet, social media, movies, or television shows.  But, contrary to popular belief, literature also holds an important place in the flow of entertainment media that is coursing through the veins of public consumption in our globalized world.  The technological advances that are connecting people worldwide through shared information are also serving as a medium to disseminate books across national and cultural boundaries.

The term “world literature” was first used by the German writer and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, referring to the dissemination of literature from and to countries across the globe.  Goethe famously stated in letters to Johann Eckermann in 1827 , “National literature is now a rather unmeaning term; the epoch of world literature is at hand, and everyone must strive to hasten its approach.”  World Literature, in the modern sense, refers to literary works that are translated into multiple languages and circulated to an audience outside their country of origin.

World literature is not a new concept, but as new media technologies explode, so do new ways of disseminating books across national boundaries.  And as new ways emerge of delivering world literature to readers worldwide, many scholars are examining the implications of translations on literature, the impact that literature has on culture, and the ways that cultures can transform books.  World literature can be an amazing tool for analyzing globalization because it provides a wonderful example of the ways that information is shared across languages and cultures.

Valerie Henitiuk, a professor of Literature and Translation at the University of East Anglia, in a compelling 2012 essay , explored the process of translation and the meanings that it holds.  She posits that “texts become successfully worlded only through interpretive acts of mediation profoundly bound up in aspects of culture.”  In other words, a text can never truly be independent of its translation.  As literature moves across boundaries of culture and language, it is, in a way, transformed into a unique cultural artifact.

While some believe that world literature gains value in translation, some scholars, such as Gayatri Chakrovorty Spivak, hold the alternate view that the study of world literature often ignores the power of a work in its own language.  Spivak believes that scholars must take care to avoid homogenizing cultures and languages when undertaking the study of translated texts, and that consideration must be given to protecting the diversity of languages and cultures present in literary works.

Image credit: John Blyberg via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Venkat Mani, in an essay published in 2014 , submits that world literature is best understood in the larger context of global media dissemination.  Mani points out that in the globalized world that exists today, the place of origin of a literary work does not necessarily define the cultural or national context of the work.  He believes that modern world literature is being created and disseminated in a public sphere, aided by new media technologies and the interconnected nature of the Internet and social media. Mani’s viewpoint mirrors Goethe’s statement that “national literature is now a rather unmeaning term,” but takes on new meaning as, almost 200 years later, the world is more connected than ever before through modern technology.

The study of world literature is a powerful tool for global studies because it encompasses so many themes that are important to understanding globalization.  World literature can show us how information is shared between cultures and nations. It provides insight into how cultural artifacts are transformed as they traverse languages and boundaries. It also can help us to understand the ways that new media technologies could be facilitating globalization by creating a public space for the transmission of literature and other information across the globe.

Want to delve deeper into this topic? Check out the sources below!

Web Resources

Top 100 Works in World Literature  – InfoPlease

Into to World Literature – Penn State

Words Without Borders

Books Set In…  – This service lets you search geographically for books set in particular regions, countries, and cities.  It even has a Google Maps feature that lets you browse the map for books from a particular area.

Articles (Available through UIUC Online Journals and Databases )

Hamilton, Grant. (2014). On world literature: when Goethe met Boltzmann . Textual Practice, 28:6, 1015-1033

Henitiuk, Valerie. (2012).  The Single, Shared Text? Translation and World Literature. World Literature Today, (86)1,  30-34.

Mani, Venkat. (2014).  A Pact With Books: The Public Life of World Literature .   Global E-Journal. 8(1). 

Books (Available through UIUC Libraries )

Apter, Emily. (2011). The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature . Princeton : Princeton University Press.

Damrosch, David. (2003). What is world literature? Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, Soret, Frédéric Jacob, Oxenford, John,Eckermann, Johann Peter. (1901). Conversations with Eckermann: being appreciations and criticisms on many subjects. Washington, M.W. Dunne.

Haen, Theo d’. (2012). The Routledge concise history of world literature.   London : Routledge.

Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. (2003) Death of a discipline. New York : Columbia University Press.

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World Literature (ENG 2403)

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Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Need to select a research topic or find background information?  

The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more.   Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information.  

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Anthology in Jewish Literature

Electronic Resource

Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature

The Cosmic Time of Empire: Modern Britain and World Literature

Dictionary of Writers and Their Works

Edinburgh Companion to Twentieth-Century Scottish Literature

Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003

French Literature

Handbook of twentieth-century literatures of india.

Introduction to Nineteenth-Century French Literature

Magill's Survey of World Literature

Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, 3rd Edition

Oxford Companion to English Literature

Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms

Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature

Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature

Postcolonial Imaginations and Moral Representations in African Literature and Culture

World Literature, World Culture

Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life.

Electronic Resource, Volumes 1-5

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing about World Literature

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource provides guidance on understanding the assignment, considering context, and developing thesis statements and citations for world literature papers. It also includes a PowerPoint about thesis statements in world literature for use by instructors and students.

Media File: Writing about World Literature

This resource is enhanced by an Acrobat PDF file. Download the free Acrobat Reader

The diversity of stories and poems available from around the world makes writing a world literature paper a fascinating experience. At the same time, dealing with texts from different cultures, languages, and time periods presents challenges. Here are six questions to help you through the writing process. Click the link at the top of the page to find a worksheet that will help you organize your notes when writing a world literature paper.

1) What is the assignment?

Make sure you understand what the assignment is asking you to do. Here is a list of common world literature papers (adapted from Karen Gocsik’s Writing about World Literature ):

Literary Analysis

Goal: Explore an image, theme or other element in a text and come to a conclusion about how that element relates to the work as a whole. See the OWL's PowerPoint workshop on literary analysis .

Historical Analysis

Goal: Demonstrate the relationship between a text and its political, cultural, or social environment and argue for the significance of this relationship.

Comparison Paper

Goal: Compare or contrast two texts in order to draw a conclusion about their worldviews, values, rhetorical aims, or literary styles. The following two assignments are types of comparison papers.

Writing about Adaptation

Goal: Compare a literary work to a later work that creatively responds to it (e.g., Disney’s The Lion King as an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet ). Make an argument about the significance of the similarities and differences between the original and the adaptation.

Writing about Translation

Goal: Compare two or more different translations of a work. Evaluate the translators’ decisions about certain textual aspects and make an argument about how these decisions exemplify different perspectives on the text as a whole.

2) What are the social and historical contexts?

Research the author and time period, consulting, for example, the introduction in an anthologyor The Dictionary of Literary Biography . Make sure that your interpretation of the text makes sense in light of its contexts. Be careful not to make blanket assumptions about cultures, countries, or time periods, and remember that literary movements are expressed in different ways by different writers. American romanticism is not the same thing as German romanticism.

3) What is the genre?

A genre is a type of composition that has its own characteristic forms, styles, and themes. Genres can vary across cultures.

4) Are you reading the text in translation?

If so, consider what may have been lost in translation. When using a translation as your source text, do not ground your argument on word choice, sentence structure, or rhyme scheme unless you can refer back to the original language.

5) What is your thesis?

Your thesis should put forward an argument rather than merely offer a description or observation. Ask the following questions: What is the significance of your interpretation? How does your interpretation help us to better understand the work as a whole?

Here is an example of a descriptive thesis . It is too obvious and does not constitute a real argument.

Here is an example of an argumentative thesis . It offers an interpretation of the characters of Achilles and Hector that sheds light on the meaning of the work as a whole.

6) Are your citations correct?

When you quote from your sources, be sure to cite correctly.

Here is an example that shows how to quote a primary source from an anthology in MLA style.

Then, in the Works Cited , provide full bibliographic information for the source:

Works Consulted

Damrosch, David. How to Read World Literature . Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

---, ed. Teaching World Literature . New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009.

---. What Is World Literature? Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2003.

Gocsik, Karen. Writing about World Literature. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2012.

*Special thanks to the World Literature teachers of Purdue University for sharing their insights.

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• A Research Guide
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What is World Literature

What is world literature, other necessary literary terms you must know, the norton anthology of world literature, the iliad literary analysis.

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How to Write World Literature  – Basic Tips Where to Start

• Assign yourself a topic: world literature is bulky and in order to simplify your task, you need a specific topic. Ascertain your topic and comprehend the task(s) before you. It is after you have ascertained and understood your assigned topic that you can move to the next phase.
• Get resourceful materials that are related to the topic and Analyze: while writing world literature, you will need to explore many materials, their structure and concept. After getting your facts right; try relating it to your aim and stances.
• Whatever your topic is, analyze the history of your subjects: give your work a historical basis by citing historical stances and relating your stances with political, cultural, or social references.
• Make reasonable Comparison in your paper: in order to bring out differences between two or more concepts or subject, you will have to compare and contrast them—so as to bring a very logical conclusion. Comparing helps to draw valid conclusions about global views, ethics, rhetorical goals or literary techniques.

Read also: Research paper on Their Eyes Were Watching God .

Below are the two types of comparison papers:

• Writing on Translation: the aim of writing on translation is to compare various translations of the same work. Thereby, allowing you to evaluate the translator’s view on specific aspects of the texts. Also, it exposes the ways individual perspective influence the judgment of a text.
• Writing on Adaptation: the main goal of such comparison is to put two literary works—in which one is a creative response to the other. Ore example The Lion King, made by Disney is an adaptation of Hamlet, the original work of Shakespeare. Writing on adaptation fully aims at bringing up a valid argument on the possible similarities and differences between the authentic work and the adaptation.

Read also: Literary analysis of Gone With The Wind .

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Tensions in World Literature pp 1–64 Cite as

Introduction: What Is World Literature?

• Weigui Fang 2  
• First Online: 29 September 2018

730 Accesses

2 Citations

The introduction by Fang Weigui discusses the key subject of the book, world literature, largely from the point of view of historical semantics, but it also touches upon the dialectics of the universal and the local, world literature and national literature, the question of “minor literatures,” literatures that appear as hybrid, “bi-national” or “cross-cultural,” and so on.

It also gives an overview of the approach chosen to the subject by the contributors to the book and offers some comments.

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Cf. David Damrosch, What is World Literature? , Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003; Pascale Casanova, The World Republic of Letters , transl. by M.B. DeBevoise, Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press, 2004 (Original version: Pascale Casanova: La République mondiale des lettres , Paris: Le Seuil, 1999); Emily Apter, The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature , Princeton: The Princeton University Press, 2006; John Pizer, The Idea of World Literature: History and Pedagogical Practice , Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2006; Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, Mapping World Literature: International Canonization and Transnational Literatures , New York: Continuum, 2008; Dieter Lamping, Die Idee der Weltliteratur: Ein Konzept Goethes und seine Karriere , Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner, 2010; Peter Goßens, Weltliteratur. Modelle transnationaler Literaturwahrnehmung im 19. Jahrhundert , Stuttgart: Metzler, 2011; Franco Moretti , Distant Reading , London: Verso, 2013; Emily Apter, Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability , London: Verso, 2013; Alexander Beecroft, An Ecology of World Literature: From Antiquity to the Present Day , London: Verso, 2015.

Matthias Freise, “Four Perspectives on World Literature: Reader, Producer, Text and System”, in this book, p. 202.

Édouard Glissant, “Àpropos de Tout-Monde. Ein Gespräch mit Ralph Ludwig” (Aug. 17, 1994), quoted from: Tout-Monde: Interkulturalität, Hybridisierung , Kreolisierung : Kommunikations- und gesellschaftstheoretische Modelle zwischen “alten” und “neuen” Räumen , ed. by Ralph Ludwig and Dorothee Röseberg, Bern: Peter Lang, 2010, p. 10. In their interpretation of Tout-Monde , Ludwig and Röseberg have especially clarified the following point in an enlightening manner: Glissant, they say, is consciously embracing a view of the world that is replacing the negative and thus problematic tendencies inscribed in globalization by a positively characterized chaos model that makes possible non-hierarchical relationships between the elements of the Diverse, while the net is not rigid but a continuous process. A basic experience that serves as a starting point of Tout-Monde is discovered in the Babylonian multiplicity of communications and languages that is seen as liberated from the “odiousness of the Negative.” Seen abstractly and generalized in the form of a social model, Tout-Monde signifies exactly the repudiation of the identitaire , of hierarchically structured notions of culture, and of a closed, rigid social order. (R. Ludwig and D. Röseberg, “Einleitung” (Introduction), in: Tout-Monde: Interkulturalität …, ibidem, p. 9, 10.)

Cf. Martin Kern, on “Ends and Beginnings of World Literature,” in his Beijing talk. His essay will be published in the journal POETICA, Vol. 49, ISSN: 0303-4178; E-ISSN: 2589-0530 (forthcoming).

Franco Moretti , Distant Reading , ibidem, p. 46.

Cf. David Damrosch, What is World Literature? (2003); Franco Moretti , “Conjectures on World Literature,” in: New Left Review 1 (Jan.–Feb. 2000), pp. 54–68.

Franco Moretti , “Modern European Literature: A Geographical Sketch,” in: F. Moretti , Distant Reading , ibidem, p. 39.

Franco Moretti , “Conjectures on World Literature,” in: F. Moretti , Distant Reading , ibidem, p. 46.

This is a position shared by Theo D’haen when he states that “World literature […] is no longer literature that matters in Europe […].” Theo D’haen, “World Literature, Postcolonial Politics, French-Caribbean Literature”, in: Jean Bessière, Littératures francophones et politiques. Paris: Éditions Karthala, 2009, p. 64. See also: Cosmopolitanism and the postnational: literature and the New Europe. Ed. by César Domínguez and Theo D’haen. Leiden: Brill, 2015.

Franco Moretti , “Evolution, World-Systems, Weltliteratur,” in: Studying Transcultural Literary History , ed. by Gunilla Lindberg-Wada, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2006, p. 120.

Erwin Koppen, “Weltliteratur”, in: Reallexikon der deutschen Literaturgeschichte , ed. by Klaus Kanzog and Achim Masser, Berlin: de Gruyter, 1984, p. 815. – The German text says, “Wie die meisten Begriffe und Kategorien des Literaturwissenchaftlers, entzieht sich auch die Konzeption der Weltliteratur einer verbindlichen Definition oder präzisen inhaltlichen Festlegung.”

David Damrosch, What is World Literature? (2003), ibidem, p. 281.

David Damrosch, What is World Literature? (2003), ibidem, p. 4.

David Damrosch, What is World Literature? (2003), ibidem, p. 300.

Cf. Gesine Müller, “Einleitung: Die Debatte Weltliteratur  – Literaturen der Welt ”, in: Verlag Macht Weltliteratur: Lateinamerikanisch-deutsche Kulturtransfers zwischen internationalem Literaturbetrieb und Übersetzungspolitik , ed. by Gesine Müller, Berlin: Tranvía-Walter Frey, 2014, p. 7.

See David Damrosch, What is World Literature? (2003), p. 70.

Cf. Gesine Müller, “Einleitung: Die Debatte Weltliteratur  – Literaturen der Welt ”, ibidem, p. 7–8.

David Damrosch, “Frames for World Literature”, in this book, p. 95.

See Marián Gálik, “Some Remarks on the Concept of World Literature after 2000”, in this book, p. 156.

See David Damrosch, “World Literature and Nation-building”, in this book, pp. 311ff.

Pascale Casanova, The World Republic of Letters , Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004, pp. 46–47.

Cf. Christopher Prendergast, “The World Republic of Letters,” in: Debating World Literature , ed. by Ch. Prendergast , London and New York: Verso, 2004, pp. 1–25.

Cf. Pascale Casanova, La République mondiale des lettres , Paris: Le Seuil, 1999, p. 64.

Manfred Koch, Weimaraner Weltbewohner. Zur Genese von Goethes Begriff “Weltliteratur” , Tübingen: Niemeyer, 2002.

Norbert Christian Wolf, “De la littérature nationale à la littérature mondiale: la trajectoire de Goethe ”, in: Champ littéraire et nation , ed. by Joseph Jurt, Freiburg: Frankreich-Zentrum, 2007, pp. 91–100.

Cf. Joseph Jurt, “Das Konzept der Weltliteratur – ein erster Entwurf eines internationalen literarischen Feldes?”, in: “Die Bienen fremder Literaturen”: der literarische Transfer zwischen Großbritannien, Frankreich und dem deutschsprachigen Raum im Zeitalter der Weltliteratur (1770–1850) , ed. by Norbert Bachleitner, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2012, pp. 31–32.

Alexander Beecroft, “World Literature without a Hyphen. Towards a Typology of Literary Systems,” in: New Left Review 54 (Nov.–Dec. 2008).

Alexander Beecroft, “World Literature without a Hyphen. Towards a Typology of Literary Systems,” ibidem, p. 100.

Regarding Beecroft’s idea of world literature, see also Alexander Beecroft, An Ecology of World Literature: From Antiquity to the Present Day . Ibidem.

Emily Apter, Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability , ibidem, p. 6.

Emily Apter, Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability , ibidem, p. 3.

Emily Apter, Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability , ibidem, p. 16.

Emily Apter, Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability , ibidem, pp. 320–342.

With regard to the wide-ranging and prolonged debate on world literature, see, in addition to the already mentioned scholarly works, Debating World Literature , ed. by Christopher Prendergast, London: Verso, 2004; The Routledge Companion to World Literature , ed. by Theo D’haen, David Damrosch and Djelal Kadir, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012; World Literature in Theory , ed. by David Damrosch, Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.

Cf. Gauti Kristmannsson, “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur”, in: Übersetzer als Entdecker: Ihr Leben und Werk als Gegenstand translationswissenschaftlicher und literaturgeschichtlicher Forschung , ed. by Andreas F. Kelletat and Aleksey Tashinskiy, Berlin: Frank & Timme, 2014, pp. 352–353.

Many scholars, thus for instance Bernard Franco, David Damrosch and Zhang Longxi in this book, refuse to acknowledge a Eurocentric tendency that may be implied in Goethe’s concept of literature, and they emphasize above all his cosmopolitanism.

See Hans J. Weitz , “‘Weltliteratur’ zuerst bei Wieland ”, in: Arc adia 22 (1987), pp. 206–208.

Cf. Wolfgang Schamoni, “‘Weltliteratur’ - zuerst 1773 bei August Ludwig Schlözer”, in: Arcadia 43, no. 2 (2008), pp. 288–298; Schamoni notes that the Scandinavian scholar Gauti Kristmannsson had pointed out already in 2007 in his essay “The Nordic Turn in German Literature” ( Edinburgh German Yearbook , vol. 1, 63–72) that Schlözer had used the term. The decisive quotation of Schlözer had been included and appraised decades earlier in Sigmund von Lempicki’s Geschichte der deutschen Literaturwissenschaft bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1920, new and expanded edition 1968, p. 418.

August Ludwig von Schlözer , Isländische Litteratur und Geschichte , Göttingen, Gotha: Dieterichs, 1773.

August Ludwig Schlözer, Isländische Litteratur und Geschichte , quoted from Wolfgang Schamoni, “‘Weltliteratur’ – zuerst 1773 bei August Ludwig Schlözer”, p. 289. In German, he said: Es gibt eine Isländische Litteratur aus dem Mittelalter, die für die gesamte Weltlittteratur eben so wichtig, und großenteils außer dem Norden noch eben so unbekannt, als die Angelsächsische, Irrländische, Rußische, Byzantinische, Hebräische, Arabische, und Kinesische, aus eben diesen düstern Zeiten, ist. Emphasis by me.

Cf. Gauti Kristmannsson, “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur”, pp. 359–360; Galin Tihanov, “The Location of World Literature,” in this book, p. 87.

Johann Gottfried Herder, “Ueber die neuere Deutsche Litteratur. Erste Sammlung von Fragmenten. Eine Beilage zu den Briefen, die neueste Litteratur betreffend (1767)”, in: Sämtliche Werke I , ed. by Bernhard Suphan, Berlin 1877, p. 148.

Cf. Manfred Koch, Weimaraner Weltbewohner , p. 89.

Manfred Koch, Weimaraner Weltbewohner , p. 116.

Cf. Pascale Casanova, The World Republic of Letters, ibidem, pp. 75–81.

Cf. Andreas F. Kelletat, Herder und die Weltliteratur. Zur Geschichte des Übersetzens im 18. Jahrhundert , Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1984.

Cf. Joseph Jurt, “Das Konzept der Weltliteratur - ein erster Entwurf eines internationalen literarischen Feldes?”, p. 23.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe (Frankfurt edition)], 40 vols., ed. by Friedmar Apel, Hendrik Birus [et al.], Frankfurt/Main 1986–1999, Vol. 14, p. 445.

Cf. Gauti Kristmannsson, “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur”, p. 355.

Bernard Franco, “Comparative Literature and World Literature: From Goethe to Globalization,” in this book, p. 68.

Fritz Strich, Goethe und die Weltliteratur , Bern: Francke, (1946) 1957, p. 31.

Egon Friedell, Kulturgeschichte der Neuzeit , München: dtv, 1976, Vol. 2, p. 883.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Menschliches, Allzumenschliches , in: F. Nietzsche , Sämtliche Werke. Kritische Studienausgabe , ed. by Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari, München: dtv, 1980, II, p. 448f. (The quoted passage says in German: Wie Beethoven über die Deutschen hinweg Musik machte, wie Schopenhauer über die Deutschen weg philosophierte, so dichtete Goethe seinen Tasso, seine Iphigenie über die Deutschen hinweg. Ihm folgte eine sehr kleine Schar Höchstgebildeter, durch Alterthum, Leben und Reisen Erzogener, über deutsches Wesen Hinausgewachsener: – er selber wollte es nicht anders.)

Dieter Lamping, Die Idee der Weltliteratur. Ein Konzept Goethes und seine Karriere , ibidem, p. 11. (In German, this passage maintains that Goethe “den Ausdruck bei verschiedenen Gelegenheiten ins Spiel gebracht und es dabei durchweg bei knappen Andeutungen belassen [hat]. Mustert man seine verstreuten Bemerkungen, so wird schnell deutlich, dass er Verschiedenes unter ‚Weltliteratur‘ verstand, wenngleich er ein Verständnis deutlich vorzog.”)

Dieter Lamping, Die Idee der Weltliteratur. Ein Konzept Goethes und seine Karriere , ibidem, p. 11. (In German: Diese Vieldeutigkeit mag mitunter etwas verwirrend sein, zumal wenn der Ausdruck selbst von Literaturwissenschaftlern in ganz unterschiedlichen Bedeutungen, aber immer unter Berufung auf Goethe verwendet wird. Seine Äußerungen über Weltliteratur lassen sich jedoch durchaus in eine sinnvolle Ordnung bringen.)

Those 20 instances where we see Goethe using the term Weltliteratur have been listed systematically in Fritz Strich, Goethe und die Weltliteratur , ibidem, pp. 369–372 and in Xavier Landrin, “La semantique historique de la Weltliteratur: Genèse conceptuelle et usages savants”, in: L’Espace culturel transnational , ed. Anna Boschetti, Paris: Nouveau Monde Editions, 2010, pp. 96–99.

Goethe was in close touch with the French journal Le Globe . It has been shown that 295 articles in his copy of Le Globe have doubtless been read by Goethe ; 202 of these articles are graced by his marginalia. See Heinz Hamm, Goethe und die französische Zeitschrift “Le Globe”. Eine Lektüre im Zeitalter der Weltliteratur , Weimar: Böhlau, 1998, p. 15. This remarkable French journal was only one of several that dominated the literary and artistic debate in France between the demise of Napoleon’s empire and the revolution of 1830. As John Boening notes, the period “between 1818 and the late 1820s” saw the formation of various conservative and liberal literary and artist groups in France. Thus, the royalist and Christian romantics clustered “around the Conservateur littéraire ” founded in 1820, with Victor Hugo and his brother as dominant figures, and around the equally conservative Muse française (founded in 1823), which motivated a “counter grouping by the liberals, including Stendhal” to start the journal Mercure du XIX siècle also in 1823. Le Globe was founded by liberals a year later. See John Boening, “The Unending Conversation. The Role of Periodicals in England and on the Continent during the Romantic Age”, in: Steven P. Sondrup, Virgil Nemoianu in collaboration with Gerald Gillespie (eds.), Nonfictional Romantic Prose: Expanding Borders. Amsterdam NL / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2004, p. 294. It was in Le Globe that Prosper Duvergier wrote that in the arts and literature, “as elsewhere, the Ancient Regime battles against the new.” See Benjamin Walton, “The Professional Dilettante: Ludovic Vitet and Le Globe ”, in: Roger Parker, Mary Ann Smart, Reading Critics Reading: Opera and Ballet Criticism in France from the Revolution to 1848, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 75. According to Walton, we can find many statements by contemporaries that underline “ Le Globe ’s seriousness and quality […], most famously from the ageing Goethe ,” who told Eckermann that he counted it “among the most interesting periodicals” and that he “could not do without it.” Walton points out that the journal, which was noted widely at the time for “its very fair-mindedness, combined with its eclecticism,” was compelled to remain “officially apolitical until the relaxation of government censorship in July 1828,” but nonetheless it “struck a distinctive political tone” very early on. He adds, “This perceptible stance was in part a consequence of the period, when politics infected every corner of intellectual production.” See Benjamin Walton, ibidem, p. 73.

Goethe : Werke [Weimarer Ausgabe (Weimar edition)], München: dtv, 1987, Vol. 11, p. 8. (In German: An Schuchardt diktirt bezüglich auf französische und Welt-Literatur.)

“Goethe an Cotta ” (26. 1. 1827), in: Goethe: Werke [Weimarer Ausgabe], Vol. 42, p. 27. (In German: Auf die ausländische Literatur muß man besonders jetzt hinweisen, da jene sich um uns zu bekümmern anfangen.)

“Goethe an Streckfuß ” (27. 1. 1827), in: Goethe : Werke [Weimarer Ausgabe], Vol. 42, p. 28. (In German: Ich bin überzeugt daß eine Weltliteratur sich bilde, daß alle Nationen dazu geneigt sind und deshalb freundliche Schritte thun.)

His journal On Art and Antiquity ( Über Kunst und Alterthum ), founded in 1816, was for a period of 16 years an important means of communication which made possible numerous contacts, but which also intended to exert a normative function. It was clearly his publication; two-thirds of the contributions were by him. Goethe saw it as an essential task of all the freshly thriving journals to dedicate themselves to the translation, interpretation and criticism of foreign literatures. In his journal, he did not only inform about foreign poesy, but he told his audience continually how German works were received abroad.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 12, p. 356. (In German: Die Mittheilungen, die ich aus französischen Zeitblättern gebe, haben nicht etwa allein zur Absicht, an mich und meine Arbeiten zu erinnern, ich bezwecke ein Höheres, worauf ich vorläufig hindeuten will. Überall hört und lies’t man von dem Vorschreiten des Menschengeschlechts, von den weiteren Aussichten der Welt- und Menschenverhältnisse. Wie es auch im ganzen hiemit beschaffen seyn mag […], will ich doch von meiner Seite meine Freunde aufmerksam machen, daß ich überzeugt sei, es bilde sich eine allgemeine Weltliteratur, worin uns Deutschen eine ehrenvolle Rolle vorbehalten ist.)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 12, p. 952. (In German: Ich sehe mich daher gern bei fremden Nationen um und rate jedem, es auch seinerseits zu tun. National-Literatur will jetzt nicht viel sagen, die Epoche der Welt-Literatur ist an der Zeit und jeder muß jetzt dazu wirken, diese Epoche zu beschleunigen.)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 724–725. With regard to the early use of the concept of world literature, cf. Hendrik Birus, “Goethes Idee der Weltliteratur. Eine historische Vergegenwärtigung”, in: Weltliteratur heute. Konzepte und Perspektiven , ed. by Manfred Schmeling, Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 1995, p. 11–12, and the relevant passages in Bernard Franco, “Comparative Literature and World Literature: From Goethe to Globalization,” in this book.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 13, p. 175. (In German: “Chinesische, Indische, Ägyptische Alterthümer sind immer nur Curiositäten,” notierte er. “Es ist sehr wohlgethan sich und die Welt damit bekannt zu machen; zu sittlicher und ästhetischer Bildung aber werden sie uns wenig fruchten.”)

“Goethe an Riemer” (25. 5. 1816), in: Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 7, p. 594. (In German: Verbleiben Sie in den griechischen Regionen, man hat’s nirgends besser; diese Nation hat verstanden aus tausend Rosen ein Fläschchen Rosenöl auszuziehen.)

Cf. Gauti Kristmannsson, “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur”, ibidem, p. 362.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 12, p. 225. (In German: Aber auch bei solcher Schätzung des Ausländischen dürfen wir nicht bei etwas Besonderem haften bleiben und dieses für musterhaft ansehen wollen. Wir müssen nicht denken, das Chinesische wäre es, oder das Serbische, oder Calderon , oder die Nibelungen; sondern im Bedürfnis von etwas Musterhaftem müssen wir immer zu den alten Griechen zurückgehen, in deren Werken stets der schöne Mensch dargestellt ist. Alles übrige müssen wir nur historisch betrachten und das Gute, so weit es gehen will, uns historisch daraus aneignen.)

Wilhelm von Humboldt an Goethe (15. 5. 1821), in: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , Briefwechsel mit Wilhelm und Alexander von Humboldt , ed. by Ludwig Geiger, Berlin: Bondy, 1909, p. 247f. (In German: Ich kann ihr keinen Geschmack abgewinnen, und bleibe immer dabei, daß das Griechische und Römische gerade die Höhe und Tiefe, die Einfachheit und die Mannichfaltigkeit, das Maß und die Haltung besitzt, an die nichts anderes je reichen wird, und über die man nie muß hinausgehen wollen [...].)

Wilhelm von Humboldt an Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker (Anfang 1826), in: Wilhelm von Humboldt, Briefe an F. G. Welcker , ed. by Rudolf Haym, Berlin: Gärtner, 1859, p. 134. (In German: ich hoffe Gelegenheit zu finden, es einmal recht ordentlich zu sagen, daß die Griechische Sprache und das Griechische Alterthum das Vorzüglichste bleiben, was je der menschliche Geist hervorgebracht hat. Was man vom Sanskrit rühmen mag, das Griechische erreicht es nicht, auch ganz einfach, als Sprache, nicht. Das wird immer mein Glaubensbekenntniss sein [...].)

Regarding the ways this concept is used in comparative literature, see Landrin, “La semantique historique de la Weltliteratur: Genèse conceptuelle et usages savants”, ibidem, pp. 79–95.

Cf. Joseph Jurt, “Das Konzept der Weltliteratur - ein erster Entwurf eines internationalen literarischen Feldes?”, ibidem, p. 43–44.

Cf. René Étiemble, Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale , Paris: Gallimard, 1974, p. 15.

See Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 938.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 427. (In German: […] hoffnungsreiches Wort: das bey der gegenwärtigen höchst bewegten Epoche und durchaus erleichterter Communication eine Weltliteratur baldigst zu hoffen sey […].)

“Goethe an Zelter ” (4. 3. 1829), in: Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 11, p. 99.

The other term that he employs in such a context is communication, in the dual sense of material (economic) and intellectual exchange.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 12, p. 866. (In German: Wenn nun aber eine solche Weltliteratur, wie bey der sich immer vermehrenden Schnelligkeit des Verkehrs unausbleiblich ist, sich nächstens bildet, so dürfen wir nur nicht mehr und nichts anders von ihr erwarten als was sie leisten kann und leistet.) Goethe went on by saying: was der Menge zusagt, wird sich grenzenlos ausbreiten und wie wir jetzt schon sehen sich in allen Zonen und Gegenden empfehlen; dies wird aber dem Ernsten und eigentlich Tüchtigen weniger gelingen.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 12, p. 866–867. (In German: Die Ernsten müssen deshalb eine stille, fast gedrückte Kirche bilden, da es vergebens wäre der breiten Tagesfluth sich entgegen zu setzen; standhaft aber muß man seine Stellung zu behaupten suchen bis die Strömung vorüber gegangen ist.)

Karl Marx und Friedrich Engels, Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei , in: Marx -Engels -Werke, Vol. 4, Berlin: Dietz, 1974, p. 466. I quote the relevant passage from the English-language edition: “The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, […] has resolved personal worth into exchange value […] [F]or exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation. […] It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science , into its paid wage labourers. The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation . […] The bourgeoisie has through its exploitation of the world market given a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country. […] [I]t has drawn from under the feet of industry the national ground on which it stood. […] In place of the old wants, satisfied by the production of the country, we find new wants, requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes. In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations. And as in material, so also in intellectual production. The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible, and from the numerous national and local literatures, there arises a world literature. The bourgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarian, nations into civilisation. […] It compels all nations, on pain of extinction, to adopt the bourgeois mode of production; it compels them to introduce what it calls civilisation into their midst, i.e., to become bourgeois themselves. In one word, it creates a world after its own image.” Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), URL https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm , accessed Aug. 30, 2016. Emphasis by me.

Cf. Gauti Kristmannsson, “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur”, ibidem, p. 356–357.

David Damrosch, What is World Literature? , ibidem, p. 4.

Cf. Gauti Kristmannsson, “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur”, ibidem, p. 357.

Cf. Erich Auerbach, “Philologie der Weltliteratur”, in: Weltliteratur: Festgabe für Fritz Strich zum 70. Geburtstag , ed. by Walter Muschg and Emil Staiger, Bern: Francke, 1952, p. 39–50.

Hendrik Birus, “Goethes Idee der Weltliteratur. Eine historische Vergegenwärtigung”, ibidem, p. 11. This “communicative dimension of the term world literature as used by Goethe ” has been emphasized especially by Peter Weber, “Anmerkungen zum aktuellen Gebrauch von ‘Weltliteratur’”, in: Günther Klotz, Winfried Schröder and Peter Weber (eds.), Literatur im Epochenumbruch. Funktionen europäischer Literaturen im 18. und beginnenden 19. Jahrhundert , Berlin, Weimar 1977, p. 533–542, especially p. 536–539.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 957. When Goethe spoke of such a “mehr oder weniger freyen geistigen Handelsverkehr,” this echoes in a way the free trade debate in England (where “most remnants of old dirigisme were gradually removed from the 1820s,” see Lars Gustafson, Nation, State and the Industrial Revolution: The Invisible Hand. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2009, p. 86). And it anticipates the connection that Marx and Engels established in 1848 between a bourgeoisie that “got the upper hand,” free trade, Western bourgeois commercial penetration of the world market, and world literature.

Cf. Hans-Joachim Schrimpf, Goethes Begriff der Weltliteratur , Stuttgart: Metzler, 1968, p. 45–47.

Cf. Conrad Wiedemann, “Deutsche Klassik und nationale Identität. Eine Revision der Sonderwegs-Frage”, in: Klassik im Vergleich. Normativität und Historizität europäischer Klassiken , ed. by Wilhelm Vosskamp, Stuttgart: Metzler, 1993, p. 562.

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 491. (In German: Diese Zeitschriften, wie sie nach und nach ein größeres Publikum gewinnen, werden zu einer gehofften allgemeinen Weltliteratur aufs Wirksamste beitragen. Goethe added, daß nicht die Rede sein könne, die Nationen sollen überein denken, sondern sie sollen nur einander gewahr werden, sich begreifen und, wenn sie sich wechselseitig nicht lieben mögen, sich einander wenigstens dulden lernen.)

Dieter Borchmeyer, “Welthandel - Weltfrömmigkeit - Weltliteratur. Goethes Alters-Futurismus” (Festvortrag zur Eröffnung des Goethezeitportals in der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München am 19.01.2004). p. 3; see Goethezeitportal. URL: http://www.goethezeitportal.de/db/wiss/goethe/borchmeyer_weltliteratur.pdf , accessed Aug. 31, 2016.

Dieter Borchmeyer, “Welthandel – Weltfrömmigkeit – Weltliteratur. Goethes Alters-Futurismus,” ibidem, p. 3. (In German: Deutlich ist hier wie immer, daß Weltliteratur für Goethe noch nichts Erreichtes ist, daß sie nicht nur die Vertrautheit des Gebildeten mit der Tradition fremdsprachiger Poesie meint - sie gab es schon seit Jahrhunderten -, also weder die Gesamtheit noch den kanonischen Höhenkamm der Nationalliteraturen bezeichnet, in welchem Sinne Goethes Begriff oft mißverstanden wird. Seine „Statuierung der Weltliteratur“ ist weder eine kumulative noch qualitative Bestandsaufnahme, sondern Ankündigung eines „Gehofften“, die Utopie einer erst in Ansätzen vorhandenen, noch zu „bildenden“ gemeinsamen nationenübergreifenden Literatur – die modern gesagt aus der Interaktion der Literaturproduzenten hervorgeht und ein neues Ethos weltweiten gesellschaftlichen Zusammenwirkens fördert.)

In his essay “Die Entdeckung der Weltliteratur” (p. 350), Gauti Kristmannsson has criticized the fact that most recently published research has failed to deal in more detail “with the immense theoretical works of translation science produced during the last decades.” He added, “It does not suffice to point, here and there, to Walter Benjamin and George Steiner, before speaking extensively about world literature and translation.”

In: Wolfgang Runkel, “Im Wort stehen”, in: Die Zeit , No. 43, 10/1997, p. 14.

David Damrosch, “Frames for World Literature,” in this book, p. 95.

William Franke, “World Literature and the Encounter with the Other: A Means or a Menace?” in this book, p. 139.

Regarding the following, cf. Joseph Jurt, “Das Konzept der Weltliteratur - ein erster Entwurf eines internationalen literarischen Feldes?”, ibidem, p. 37.

“Goethe an Carlyle ” (20. Juli 1827), in: Goethe Werke (Weimarer Ausgabe), Vol. 42, p. 270. (In German: Und so ist jeder Übersetzer anzusehen, daß er sich als Vermittler dieses allgemein geistigen Handels bemüht, und den Wechseltausch zu befördern sich zum Geschäft macht. Denn, was man auch von der Unzulänglichkeit des Übersetzens sagen mag, so ist und bleibt es doch eins der wichtigsten und würdigsten Geschäfte in dem allgemeinen Weltwesen.)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 428. (In German: Goethe betont aber nicht nur den Gewinn, den die Übersetzung für die Kultur bringt, in die übersetzt wird, sondern auch den Gewinn, den der neue Blick der Übersetzung für die Kultur bringt, aus der übersetzt wird. Diese fremde Perspektive bringt eine Auffrischung der eigenen Texte, die einem zu vertraut sind: „Eine jede Literatur ennüyirt sich zuletzt in sich selbst, wenn sie nicht durch fremde Theilnahme wieder aufgefrischt wird. Theilnahme can be understood in the sense of Anteilnahme (emotional and intellectual involvement) and in the sense of participation .)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 949. (In German: In England hat […] Soane meinen Faust bewunderungswürdig verstanden und dessen Eigenthümlichkeiten mit den Eigenthümlichkeiten seiner Sprache und den Forderungen seiner Nation in Harmonie zu bringen gewusst.)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 490. (In German: Nun aber trat es mir auf einmal in der Sprache Shakespeare’s entgegen, die große Analogie zweyer vorzüglicher Dichterseelen ging mir lebhaft auf; es war das erste frischer wieder, dasselbe in einem andern, und so neu, dass es mich wieder mit seiner völligen Kraft ergriff und die innerlichste Rührung hervorbrachte.) This may help to elucidate Franke’s view: “There is a necessary letting go of one’s own culture in order to let great works operate as world literature. Only when we receive our own literature back from others has it truly become world literature for us, too. But then it comes back to us radically changed in its fundamental significance.” (William Franke, “World Literature and the Encounter with the Other: A Means or a Menace?” in this book, p. 139.)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 935. (In German: denn eben diese Bezüge vom Originale zur Übersetzung sind es ja, welche die Verhältnisse von Nation zu Nation am allerdeutlichsten aussprechen und die man zu Förderung der vor- und obwaltenden Weltliteratur vorzüglich zu kennen und beurtheilen hat.)

Cf. Fawzi Boubia, “Goethes Theorie der Alterität und die Idee der Weltliteratur. Ein Beitrag zur neueren Kulturdebatte”, in: Gegenwart als kulturelles Erbe , ed. by Bernd Thum, München: Iudicium, 1985, p. 272.

Fritz Strich, Goethe und die Weltliteratur , ibidem, p. 11. (In German: die Erkenntnis der allgemeinen, ewigen Menschlichkeit als des Bandes der Völker […].)

Fritz Strich, Goethe und die Weltliteratur , ibidem, p. 51. (In German: Es ist der allgemeinen Menschlichkeit, in der die reine Quelle der Weltliteratur zu finden ist, eine allgemein menschliche Kunst und Wissenschaft […].)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 12, p. 223. (In German, he said that the Chinese […] denken, handeln und empfinden fast ebenso wie wir, und man fühlt sich sehr bald als ihresgleichen […].)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 433. (In German: durch Nationalität und Persönlichkeit hin jenes Allgemeine immer mehr durchleuchten und durchscheinen sehen.)

Goethe , Sämtliche Werke. Briefe, Tagebücher und Gespräche [Frankfurter Ausgabe], Vol. 22, p. 964. (In German he said that poetry is: weltbürgerlich und um so mehr interessant als sie sich national zeige.)

David Damrosch, “Frames for World Literature,” in this book, p. 94.

See Fawzi Boubia, “Goethes Theorie der Alterität und die Idee der Weltliteratur: Ein Beitrag zur neueren Kulturdebatte”, ibidem, p. 279–296.

Martin Kern, on “Ends and Beginnings of World Literature,” ibidem.

Erich Auerbach, “Philologie der Weltliteratur,” ibidem, p. 39. (In German: damit wäre der Gedanke der Weltliteratur zugleich verwirklicht und zerstört.)

Martin Kern, “Ends and Beginnings of World Literature,” ibidem.

Fritz Strich, Goethe und die Weltliteratur , ibidem, p. 14.

Focused on this theme, a conference took place on Nov. 13 and 14, 2014 at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen. It was entitled “Slavische Literaturen der Gegenwart als Weltliteratur. Hybride Konstellationen.” On the recent development of Slavic literatures, see Die slavischen Literaturen heute , ed. by Reinhard Lauer, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2000 (Opera Slavica NF 36).

Cf. Marián Gálik, “Some Remarks on the Concept of World Literature after 2000,” in this book, p. 164, footnote 9; cf. also Ivo Pospíšil and Miloš Zelenka (eds.), Centrisme interlittéraire des littératures de l’Europe centrale , Brno: Masarykova universita, 1999; Dionýz Ďurišin and Armando Gnisci (eds.), Il Mediterraneo. Una rete interletteria , Roma: Bulzoni Editore, 2000. See also: Armando Gnisci, Studi europei e mediterranei , Roma: Bulzoni, 2008.

Hugo Dyserinck, Komparatistik. Eine Einführung (1977), Bonn: Bouvier, 1981, p. 70. (In German, Dyserick’s text referred to Ďurišin’s hypothesis of a Synthese der sozialistischen Literatur, in order to then speak of a Modell der multinationalen Einheit von einzelliterarischen Entitäten in einem supranationalen Rahmen […].)

Matthias Freise, “Four Perspectives on World Literature: Reader, Producer, Text and System,” in this book, p. 191.

Gnisci writes that it is necessary to oppose “the universal circulating of injustice, discrimination and oppression that is called ‘global market & unified thought’” (“la circolare universale dell’ingiustizia, della discriminazione e dell’oppressione che si chiama ‘mercato globale & pensiero unico’”). Armando Gnisci, Una storia diversa . Roma: Meltemi, 2001, p. 8.

See Armando Gnisci, Una storia diversa . Ibid., p. 8.

“La letteratura delle migrazione e un fenomeno che interessa i mondi e i rapporti tra i mondi del mondo della fine del XX secolo dell’era cristiana e dell’inizio del XXI. […] Un fenomeno che si puo cogliere e studiare, scorgere e definire, assecondare e concorrerne la corsa, solo se si possiede e si pratica una poetica interculturale.” (“Literature of migration is a phenomenon that concerns the worlds and relations between worlds of the late twentieth century of the Christian era and of the early twenty-first century. […] A phenomenon that one can only get hold of and study, decipher and define, support and accompany in its course if one possesses and practices an intercultural poetics.”) Armando Gnisci, Creolizzare l’Europa: Letteratura e migrazione . Roma: Meltemi editore, 2003, p. 8. Such an intercultural poetics also implies that we must tackle “the theme of identity or rather, deconstruction of identity.” Franca Sinopoli, “Migrazione/letteratura: due proposte di indagine critica”, in: http://ww3.comune.fe.it/vocidalsilenzio/sinopoli.htm . Accessed Jan. 12, 2017. Franca Sinipoli collaborated with Armando Snisci on several books on migrant literature and also on the literature of the world/world literature, thus La letteratura del mondo nel XXI secolo , Milano: Mondadori, 2010.

Armando Gnisci, Creolizzare l’Europa: Letteratura e migrazione . Roma: Meltemi editore, 2003. Gnisci has tackled the “literature of migration” and of migrants in a number of books. See also: Armando Gnisci, Nora Moll, Diaspore europee & lettere migranti: Primo Festival Europeo degli Scrittori Migranti, Roma, giugno 2002 . Roma: Edizioni Interculturali, 2002; Armando Gnisci, Nuovo planetario italiano: geografia e antología della letteratura della migrazione in Italia e in Europa . Troina: Città Aperta Ed., 2006. His book La letteratura italiana della migrazione (Roma, 1998) was perhaps the first one in Europe on this subject of literature of migrants living in (at least) two “worlds.”

Cf. the “Conference Manual” of the above-mentioned conference on “Slavische Literaturen der Gegenwart als Weltliteratur. Hybride Konstellationen,” and Reinhard Lauer (ed.), Die slavischen Literaturen heute . Ibidem.

Cf. David Damrosch, What is World Literature?, ibidem; Ottmar Ette, Über Lebenswissen. Die Aufgabe der Philologie , Berlin: Kadmos, 2004; Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, Mapping World Literature: International Canonization and Transnational Literatures . London: Continuum, 2008.

Dieter Lamping, Die Idee der Weltliteratur. Ein Konzept Goethes und seine Karriere , ibidem, p. 66. (In German, the author speaks of the rückwärtsgewandten “altdeutsch patriotischen” Kunst.)

Peter Goßens, Weltliteratur. Modelle transnationaler Literaturwahrnehmung im 19. Jahrhundert , ibidem, p. 24. (In German: Dieser Ruhm, der auf handwerklichem Können und dem unterhaltenden Wert eines literarischen Werkes beruht, ist vergänglich und für den Gedanken der Weltpoesie nicht weiter von Bedeutung. Entscheidend ist hier vielmehr die Frage, ob es dem Dichter und seinem Werk gelingt, die nationalkulturellen Grenzen, von denen seine literarische wie künstlerische Praxis geprägt ist, zu überwinden.)

Peter Goßens, Weltliteratur. Modelle transnationaler Literaturwahrnehmung im 19. Jahrhundert , ibidem, p. 24. (In German: Nur mit dem frühzeitigen Blick auf seine transnationale Rolle hat der Dichter schon bei der Entstehung des Werkes die Möglichkeit, dieses zu einem Bestandteil der Weltliteratur zu machen.)

Cf. Bernard Franco, “Comparative Literature and World Literature: From Goethe to Globalization,” in this book, p. 68.

Cf. Gesine Müller, “Einleitung: Die Debatte Weltliteratur  – Literaturen der Welt ”, ibidem, pp. 10–11.

Marián Gálik, “Some Remarks on the Concept of World Literature after 2000,” in this book, p. 158.

Marián Gálik, “Some Remarks on the Concept of World Literature after 2000,” ibidem, p. 159.

Marián Gálik, “Some Remarks on the Concept of World Literature after 2000,” ibidem, p. 160.

Wang Ning , “For Whom Did the Bell Toll? – The Nationality and Worldliness of Comparative Literature,” in: Exploration and Free Views , 2016, No. 7, p. 38. (Original:王宁:《丧钟为谁而鸣——比较文学的民族性与世界性》,载《探索与争鸣》2016年第7期.)

Wang Ning , “For Whom Did the Bell Toll? – The Nationality and Worldliness of Comparative Literature,” ibidem, p. 37.

Liu Hongtao , “How to Become World Literature? Chinese Literature’s Aspiration and Way to ‘Step into the World’,” in this book, p. 291.

Liu Hongtao , “How to Become World Literature? Chinese Literature’s Aspiration and Way to ‘Step into the World’,” ibidem, pp. 291f.

On resentment in modern Chinese history, see Fang Weigui , “Nach der Verletzung des nationalistischen Prinzips – 150 Jahre Ressentiment in China,” in Minima Sinica. Zeitschrift zum chinesischen Geist , 2/2002, pp. 1–27. Also: Fang Weigui , “After the Nationalism Principle Has Been Humiliated: 150 Years of Chinese Resentment,” in: Journal of Social Sciences (05/2006), pp. 18–31.(Originally published in Chinese: 方维规:《民族主义原则损伤之后:中国一百五十年羡憎情结》,载《社会科学》2006年第5期,第18–31页.)

Lu Jiande , “The Interactions between the Local and the Universal,” in this book, p. 328.

Wang Ning , “For Whom Did the Bell Toll? – The Nationality and Worldliness of Comparative Literature,” ibidem, p. 38.

Wolfgang Kubin, “World Literature from and in China,” in this book, p. 302.

Wolfgang Kubin, “World Literature from and in China,” ibidem, p. 304.

William Franke, “World Literature and the Encounter with the Other: A Means or a Menace?,” in this book, p. 132.

William Franke, “World Literature and the Encounter with the Other: A Means or a Menace?,” ibidem, pp. 138f.

William Franke, “World Literature and the Encounter with the Other: A Means or a Menace?,” ibidem, p. 139.

Wolfgang Kubin, “World Literature from and in China,” ibidem, p. 305.

Fang Weigui , “The Tide of Literature,” in: Chinese Literary Criticism , 3/2016, p. 105.(Original:方维规:《文学的潮汐》,载《中国文学批评》2016年第3期.)

Martin Kern, “Who Decides the ‘United Nations of Great Books’,” in this book, p. 350.

Martin Kern, “Who Decides the ‘United Nations of Great Books’,” ibidem, pp. 350f.

Martin Kern, “Who Decides the ‘United Nations of Great Books’,” ibidem, p. 353.

Fang Weigui , “Einführung des Übersetzers”, in: Hugo Dyserinck, Komparatistik. Eine Einführung [Comparative Literature: An Introduction], translated to Chinese by Fang Weigui , Beijing Normal University Publishing Group, 2009, p. 13. (方维规“译序”, 狄泽林克:《比较文学导论》, 方维规译, 北京师范大学出版社, 2009年.)

Marián Gálik, “Some Remarks on the Concept of World Literature After 2000”, in this book, p. 148.

Liu Hongtao, “How to Become World Literature? Chinese Literature’s Aspiration and Way to ‘Step into the World’,” in this book, p. 291.

Zhang Longxi , “World Literature: Significance, Challenge, and Future”, in this book, p. 338.

Theo D’haen, “World Literature, Postcolonial Politics, French-Caribbean Literature”, in: Jean Bessière (ed.), Littératures francophones et politiques , Paris : Éditions Karthala, 2009, p. 65. As editor, Theo D’haen has come back to the problem of a possibly very different empirical importance of the world’s languages in the book Major versus Minor? Languages and literatures in a globalized world , edited by Theo D’haen, Iannis Goerlandt and Roger D. Sell. Amsterdam: Benjamins, 2015.

Theo D’haen, “World Literature, Postcolonial Politics, French-Caribbean Literature”, ibid, p. 66.

Theo D’haen, “World Literature, Postcolonial Politics, French-Caribbean Literature”, ibid, p. 65.

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Fang, W. (2018). Introduction: What Is World Literature?. In: Fang, W. (eds) Tensions in World Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0635-8_1

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Comparative and world literature professor recognized for humanities research

Eric Calderwood, a professor in the Department of Comparative & World Literature , is being recognized by the Humanities Research Institute for his research. 

HRI announced its 2024 Prizes for Research in the Humanities this month. They recognize excellence in humanities scholarship with awards given at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty levels.

Calderwood received an honorable mention under the faculty prize category. 

Faculty Prizes

Honorable mention.

Eric Calderwood  (Comparative and World Literature), “The Palestinian al-Andalus,” from  On Earth or in Poems: The Many Lives of al-Andalus  (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2023).

The recipients will be honored at the Prizes for Research Ceremony and Year-End Reception on Thursday, May 2, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 0p.m. at the Levis Faculty Center, Rooms 422 and 424. Prizes will be awarded at 4:00 p.m. with reception to follow. 

To read about the other recipients, click  here .

Editor's note: This news was first announced on the  Humanities Research Institute  website.

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Recording for Book Launch of McOndo Revisited by Dr. Thomas Nulley-Valdés Now Available

The publication of McOndo Revisited: The Making of a Generation Defining Anthology in the Latin American Literature-World  by Dr. Thomas Nulley-Valdés was celebrated on 31 October 2023.

The controversial  McOndo anthology, edited by Chileans Alberto Fuguet and Sergio Gómez, was envisaged as a forceful contestation of local and global perceptions of Latin American literature, still fixated with exoticized and politicized narratives most especially in the magical realist style.

As the first comprehensive monograph dedicated to the  McOndo anthology,  McOndo Revisited  rectifies numerous misreadings of the text and reclaims its primarily artistic intentions. Considered by many a commercial and critical failure,   McOndo Revisited  sheds light on this controversial work and demonstrates its role in historicizing the Latin American Literature-World and indeed becoming a generation defining anthology, even if through a most paradoxical fashion.

At the book launch, Thomas shared his life stories and the reasons for writing this book, his experience of conducting research and writing for the book, and more.

Recording of the event and the full discussion is now available below.

This event is co-sponsored by the Transnational Research Network (TRN).

About the Author

Dr Thomas Nulley-Valdés  is Lecturer in Spanish Studies (Language and Literature) at ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics. He is an emerging scholar of world literature with a focus on Spanish and Latin American literature of the 20th and 21st centuries.His areas of research include world literature theories and methodologies, Latin America's historical identity discourse, anthologies and literary canonization, author studies, Latino literature in the USA and Chilean literary history.

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, editorial: service resilience in an increasingly ambiguous, dynamic and complex world – absorb, adapt and transform.

Journal of Services Marketing

ISSN : 0887-6045

Article publication date: 16 April 2024

This editorial introduces a special issue of the Journal of Services Marketing , dedicated to the concept of resilience in the services sector. This editorial aims to identify how service organizations, networks and systems are resilient in the face of or wake of marketplace disruptions.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on available literature in service research, the authors illustrate how service scholars can better understand the processes, relationships and outcomes that are a crucial part of resilience in service organizations.

This editorial presents a theoretical framework illustrating interactive, linked and interdependent resource-based resilience practices that enable service organizations and individuals to develop and grow resilience. The special issue papers identified six themes to guide future research: conceptual complexity and challenges of operationalization; culture, context and resilience; antecedents to resilience and outcomes; resilience and the complex world of artificial intelligence and technology; value co-creation; and service ecosystems.

Originality/value

This editorial presents service researchers with an overview of research examining the concept of resilience. It also demonstrates diversity in how the concept is defined and operationalized. Our theoretical framework illustrates a new way of conceptualizing service resilience by identifying three resource-based resilience practices in an increasingly ambiguous, dynamic and complex service world. Together these underpin the six themes for further research.

• Service research
• Dynamic capabilities
• Transformation

Davey, J. , Krisjanous, J. and Ashill, N. (2024), "Editorial: Service resilience in an increasingly ambiguous, dynamic and complex world – absorb, adapt and transform", Journal of Services Marketing , Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2024-0122

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