Critical Essays on World Literature, Comparative Literature and the “Other”

Book excerpt: The book offers coherent theoretical treatment of the conceptions of “World Literature” and “Comparative Literature”, in parallel with their practical application to the research of different literary phenomena (Renaissance and Baroque creativity, literary canons, philosophy of translation, etc.), especially, as viewed from the point of view of the “other”—“peripheral” (minor, minority) national(-linguistic) cultures. Envisaging womankind’s historical liberation and a budding “comparative world sensibility” has been seen as one of the greatest merits of European “creative humanists”. To explain the deep sources of creativity and image authenticity, the notions of the (aesthetic) “infra-other” and (philosophical) “transgeniality” have been introduced. The proposed aim would be to transcend monologues of ideological-cultural “centres”, as well as formalistic and sociological trends in cultural and literary research and teaching. The book advocates a plurality of creative dialogues and a mutually enriching symbiotic relationship between “centres” and “peripheries”.