Comparative literature book written by susan bassnett explains to the readers about comparative literature in simple ways. Comparative literature by posnett, hutcheson macaulay. Comparative literature should include the open ended possibility to study literatures. Comparative literature is the study of literature and other cultural expressions across linguistic and cultural boundaries. For five years now this endowment has funded advanced research students in our program, allowing them to undertake original archival research and to write up their research. Nov 28, 20 according to susan basnnett, the term comparative literature appeared in an age of transition. World literature, narrative form and international law. Debates over theory in comparative education at this time focused on the. Comparative literature is the more widely used term in the united states, with many universities having comparative literature departments or comparative literature programs. Comparative literature is a study of the literary texts written in different languages by the most common and simp le meaning, such that this means a st udy behind linguistic. Founded in the 1960s on the traditional philological and philosophical bases of the discipline, uts program in comparative literature has always displayed strengths in both european and noneuropean languages and literatures. As a subfield in comparative literature according to the french school, thematology is a comparative study of literary works as they relate to other literary works beyond their national borders as far as the themes are concerned. Comparative literature analyses the similarities and dissimilarities and parallels between two literatures.
Studying moroccan literature in terms of a comparative literature paradigm grew out of my concern with the world literature value that comes to moroccan literary texts through translation, and. The terms comparative literature and world literature are often used to designate a similar course of study and scholarship. Comparative literature the branch of literary history that deals with literary relationships, similarities, and distinctions among different countries. Rene wellek centre for comparative literature, university of toronto. Historically, it is true that comparative literature. Similarities between works of literature may be based on similarities in the social and cultural development of the respective countries of origin or on cultural and literary contacts between the. Henry remak 19162009 comparative literature is the study of literature beyond the confines of one particular country, and the study of the relationships between literature on one hand and other areas of knowledge and belief, such as the arts e. On comparative literature science publishing group. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. Early on, the discipline was anchored in the comparison of literary works from more than one linguistic tradition. A comparative essay is an academic essay that requires students to create a comprehensive and precise comparative report about two things. Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. The definition of comparative literature is the study of the writing from different countries.
Comparative education has no monopoly over the term comparison. Our ma in comparative literature and critical theories is an interdisciplinary, transnational programme. Comparative literature definition is the study of the interrelationship of the literatures of two or more national cultures usually of differing languages and especially of the influences of one upon the other. In the longstanding and divisive debate on comparative literature, comparatist scholars from both the great european tradition and the southern hemisphere agree on the importance of two elements. They explore the connections of literature with history, philosophy, politics, and literary theory. Comparative literature is an interdisciplinary field engaged with the study of global literature or literary output across borders, nations, time periods, genres, forms and themes. Definition, importance and famous works of comparative literature.
While most frequently practiced with works of different languages, comparative literature may also be performed on works of the same language if the works originate from different nations or cultures among which that. Further, comparative literature includes study of historical and contemporary literary theory and criticism. Our discipline takes a transnational, translinguistic, transcultural and transmedial approach to analysis. Introduction to comparative and international education. Definition of comparativeliterature noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. The journals comparative literature and comparative literature studies were founded in 1949 and 1963, respectively. Many theories of translation derive from scholars who also work in comparative literature, and indeed, at many institutions, comparative literature and translation studies are. Comparative literature compares literatures, not only as accumulations of primary works, but as the languages, cultures, histories, traditions, theories, and practices with which those works come. Comparative literature definition of comparative literature. Comparative literature which focuses on the middle east with a special emphasis on gender issues.
In europe, as nations struggled for independence from the ottoman empire, from the austrohungarian empire, from france, from russia and new nation states came into being, national identity whatever that was was inextricably bound up with national culture however that was defined. However, it was only in 1994 that an ma course in comparative indian literature began in the department. Its history is intimately linked to the political upheavals of modernity. Comparative literature is the analysis of two or more pieces of literature from different backgrounds. Comparative literature is a center towards which the intellectually adventurous gravitate. Comparative literature definition, the study of the literatures of two or more groups differing in cultural background and, usually, in language, concentrating on their relationships to and influences upon each other. Comparative federalism uses a comparative approach to explore the contemporary nature and meanings of federalism and federation theory of comparative literature pdf. Like all other concentrations in comparative studies, this concentration allows students, with the help of their advisers, to design a course of study that suits their particular interests. Comparative literature and the principles it expounds wil l serve as a guide to students and teachers alike, weary of confusing medleys of rival ideological positions. Comparative literature performs a role similar to that of the study of international relations, but works with languages and artistic traditions, so as to understand. Additionally, i argue that comparative literature accepted as a most advantageous approach for literary and cultural studies can probably contribute much more than the other disciplines to cultural studies and cultural history, even feminist cultural history, comparative cultural perspectives to literature. The university of texas at austin comparative literature.
What scholars in comparative literature share is a. In so far as relations between nations have some historical roots, literary comparative studies are linked to history. Womens experiences of love in tess of the durbervilles and wuthering heights. Will the course of the development of comparative literature as a discipline has been slow and difficult. It views literary texts as both being the product of a specific language and culture and as a universal phenomenon transcending national and cultural boundaries and. Nation states were also beginning to form and the idea of national identity developed in tandem. And they study the intersections of literature with other cultural forms such as film, drama, the visual arts, music, and. Comparative literature article about comparative literature. In the words of rene wellek, comparative literature as.
Apr 26, 2020 the field of comparative literature is an academic mode of study and inquiry. It is the contrastive study of themes in different literary texts. Definition, importance and famous works of comparative. Various aspects of literature like linguistic rigor and historical background of the literary texts are helpful for us to compare two or more literary works for comparison. Definition of comparative literature noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. The phrase comparative literature would be reserved to describe.
Comparative literature is also closely related to cultural studies, a field that looks at the ways in which culture on a broad scale impacts human experience, often by studying works of literature. A national seminar on comparative literature was held in delhi university organized by nagendra, a writercritic who taught in the hindi department of delhi university and a volume entitled comparative literature was published in 1977. In the crisis of comparative literature 1959, wellek defends a broad and multivalent definition of the discipline against the strict emphasis on. The term can also be applied to an area or element of a groups literature rather than specific pieces. Comparative literature is both the past and the future of literary studies. The levels of involvement across cohorts has been especially remarkable, and we. The definition of comparative literature given by bijay kumar dass is very simple vivid and understandable. Provides a critical assessment of the status of literary and crosscultural inquiry. This is a useful distinction so long as we recognize that the concept of national literature is not without its problems, and that the two kinds of study must, inevitably, shade into one another.
The main focus of comparative literature is on some time period, genre and a theme, or might be on the literature itself like, language and structure. Comparative literature dictionary definition comparative. Comparative literature definition, the study of the literatures of two or more groups differing in cultural background and, usually, in language, concentrating on their relationships to. A companion to comparative literature wiley online books. List of books and articles about comparative literature. Comparative literature definition and meaning collins. Comparative literature is the laboratory or workshop of literary studies, and through them, of the humanities. Definition the founding fathers of this school define comparative literature as a branch of literary study which traces the mutual relations between two or more internationally and linguistically different literatures or texts. Roland greene, their generation, comparative literature in the age. All of us are living in a modern world where literatures, languages and cultures intersect that is the major reason. At the same time, a number of other comparative studies were beginning to develop in the fields of law, biology and linguistics. Comparative literature comparative literature leads to a ba degree and is designed to attract students who wish to pursue an interdisciplinary plan of course work focused on the study of literature as written in various languages and in various parts of the world. Literary studies with comparative cult ural approaches to the. Pdf comparative literature and the question of theory.
Students of comparative literature trace the transformations and travels of literary genres and texts across time and space. It overlays with a wide variety of subjects including history, sociology, linguistics and religious studies. Etymologically, the term comparative literature denotes any literary work or works when compared with any other literary work or works. Hence, comparative literature is the study of interrelationship between any two or more than two significant literary works or literatures. Best masters degrees in comparative literature in europe 2020. It is an integral part of culture and literary scholarship. It comes first with an introduction about what comparative literature today is and how it came into being. Department of comparative literature 16 quincy street danapalmer house cambridge, ma 028 phone. Chapter ii methodology of the study comparative literature. Comparative literature is the study of national literatures in relation to each other. A comparative essay is an organized written material that is meant to provide a comparison that should be easily understood by the target readers.
In the words of rene wellek, comparative literature. Comparative literature examines translation as an interpretive act central to the history and practice of literary study. Information and translations of comparative literature in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Definition of comparative literature in the dictionary. A precise definition of comparative literature is often problematic. Pdf this study focuses on issues such as what comparative literature is or not, how it is perceived today, what its benefits are, what kinds of. This is because each element is a key part of a literary pieces own background. The theory of literary comparison would be taught in the literature faculty. Many writers in the field have called him the father of comparative education as he was the first to use the term comparative. Studies in comparative literature developed in the early 1800s with the first publications on the subject being published in france. The university masters degree in comparative literature is conceived as an initiation masters degree in research in literary studies of european tradition. After a theoretical tour force of similar theoretical frameworks and methodologies for the study of literature. Pdf understanding comparative literature international journal.
Its sphere still affords material for discussion and there is still disagreement as to its method. Somewhat later, comparative literature centers were established in the federal republic of germany by k. A companion to comparative literature presents a collection of more than thirty original essays from established and emerging scholars, which explore the history, current state, and future of comparative literature features over thirty original essays from leading international contributors. It invites students to engage with crucial debates about the different ways in which cultures across time and space have understood the relationship between literature and the world, the concept of representation and the role of the author in the cultural domain. Comparative literature studies linkedin slideshare. The second one is the study of relationships between two more literatures, and the third one of comparative literature is identification with world literature. Page 2 comparative literature spring 2014 a note from gracls by kaitlin shirley the 202014 school year was yet another success for graduate comparative literature students i.
Although the essays in this volume may be considered independent contributions, it should be noted that they have been motivated by an interest, common to all the contributors, in the problems and methods the student of comparative literature may encounter. This major new introduction to comparative literature is for the students coming to the subject for the first time. Comparing the similarities and differences between the brothers grimm cinderella version and ananyas version of cinderella. The simple way to define comparative literature is to say that it is a comparison between the two literatures. At brown, the department of comparative literature is distinct in its conviction that literary research and instruction must be international in character. Perspectives on comparative literature lsu digital commons. The first one comprises is the study of folktale themes. Comparative literature department of comparative studies. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.