Concept of World Literature
Origin =
Goethe a German poet, Playwright,
novelist, scientist , Stats man, actor and critic he termed the Word World literature
in the 19th Century for the first time in his letters to Johann
Eckermann. He published the letters these letters as Conversation Of Goethe
(1835) In which Eckerman quated that,
“Poetry is the universal possession of mankind revealing
itself everywhere and all times by hundreds hundreds of men. I there for like
to look at foreign nationals and advise everyone to do same. National
literature is now very unusual term; the epoch of world literature is at hand
and everyone must strive to approach it``
Initially world literature
referred as increased circulation of works among the European writers and many
intellectuals. To spread to the concept of world literature translation was an
essential ingredient but initially mostly limited to a comparative study of major
and minor European literary works When we speak of the word ‘World literature,
does it mean the literature of the world or just European Literature, we are
talking about whose literature Which literature?
Defination of world literature = Defining world literature
as totality of works of all literature in the world which is written in the
past and present.
→ According to David
Damrosch “Literary Works that circulate beyond their culture of origin... in
it’s most expansive sense world literature could include any work that has
reached beyond it’s home land “
• It is a new pattern of
literature In teams of low se literature which refers to literary works that
are translated into multiple languages and circulated to an audience outside
their country Of origin, works that travel across national boundaries and also
linked to globalization. This means that would literature is a broad network of
literary works that interacts in the spaces between cultures and must be read
outside its Cultural context. World literature is about stepping outside our
neighbours regions, cultures and placing ourselves in the larger context Of
humanity.
Anticipating world literature = Karl Marx and Engles
stated in their communist manifesto that traditions In the place of old of literary
traditions begin the new patterns of circulating works of different lands. In
place of local and old literary works we have initiated in Universal independence
of national literatures. In Intellectual terms the content of Individual
nations become Common public property. National One -sidedness And narrow
mentality vanished there arise the new concept of world literature.
→ Initially the concept of
World literature was Eurocentric works as an exchange Of literary works Between
just European countries and no attention
to developments of literature outside Europe. There was also a question that all
languages should be part of literary curriculum not just European languages later
on as the time passes the concept of World literature becomes wider and Spread
through the world as a global concept not just limited a to a Continent.
What we bring in as readers = As a reader of World Literature it is
important to understand where we come form and the culture that an author come
from. However we read world literature out of this context and appreciate it in
the same way as someone form the same culture. By understanding our own culture
we can gain deeper meaning from an author from a foreign culture.
→ Ultimately we read world
literature to establish common ground, rather than to show differences between
us. Authors of world literature strives to create new ideas that are not only
limited by national or cultural boundaries.
Translation as a part of world literature = Trani
slation s a mediating force between multiple literatures around world the So
every region on the world Can exchange their literatures as part of language,
culture and different ideas.
In an essay by Kathleen
Sheilds Challenges and possibilities
for world literature (2013), Her main argument is that Goethe’s concept
of world literature only focused on translation practice to exchange each other`s
literature by European countries that occupied a centre stage. She is
Encouraging us to look at translation as political Activity rather than a
linguistic work. After translation being Spread over every nation state
wakening in each sense. Goethe’s idea of World Literature declined as the
rise of English language as supreme language because we find more translations
in English than any other Languages.
In Kathleen sheilds’s essuy she describes
about different modes of d translations and also tells. That initially.
Hounslation cous a mediating between European literatures in many ways English
language Seaves as the buse of cull kind of franslations.
Challenges for world literature= Literary works that are circulated internationally also has
some political and economic aspects and also refers to the literary market
which is thriving today, we began to notice that there is a dominance of prose
fiction and there is less of interest and focus on genres such as poetry, drama
and epic
As literature travel across the borders
we need not to be naive enough to assume that all literatures are not capable
of travelling across the borders. In “On
the politics of Untranslatabity by Emily Apter argues that the challenge
of untranslatabity which even
led to the rise of terrorism tragic and unfortunate incidents in the world.
World literature today= In 1970`s and 1990`s world literature was almost dead and
buried as it was also part of studies related to comparative literature However
we find a revival of interest. In the 20th Century for world
literature followings are examples :
-> The Concise History of world literature
(2012) by theo`d Haem
-> Reading world
literature, theory and practise by Sarah Lawall (1994)
->Conjectures on world
literature (1999) an essay in new Left review by franco Moreittin, In which he
argued that would literature is not an problem it is problem.
->How to read world
literature by David damrosch
->David Damrosch in his
book “What is World literature” define world literature as a category of
literary publication and circulation.
We can see the return of
world Literature in late 20th century in which World literature
consist languages and translation from Sanskrit, Islamic and Serbian poetry. In
prose part there is African literature, Arabic literature, European literature,
Latin American, Asian literature and American literature.
){kind=link}