Comparative Literature: Origins, Etymology And Quotations

Term “comparative”derived from Latin“comparativus”used by Shakespeare in Henry IV: Falstaff describing Prince Halused by Francis Meres in 1598- “A Comparative Discourse of Our English

Poets with the Greek, Latin and Italian Poets”used by Thomas Warton in Preface to Vol.I of History of English Poetry (“a

comparative survey of the poetry of other nations”)

“Comparative Literature”- first used by Matthew Arnold in 1848

-decisive use in English by

H.M.Posnett

• Cours de litterature comparee- French Anthologies by Noel and Laplace-1816

• Term “Litterature comparee” popularized in France by Abel-Francois Villemain

• The text which made the term a stable one: An obituary of Ampere by Saint-Beuve

• Paul Van Tieghem distinguishes between Comparative Literature and General Literature:

Comparative Literature- concerned with “binary relations”General Literature- “research into facts common to several literatures”

(James Montgomery used “general literature” in the sense of “theory of literature” or “principles of criticism”).

“WORLD LITERATURE”

- first used by Goethe in 1827- in a commentary on a

translation of his drama Tasso into French

• “CL is a bogus term that makes neither sense nor syntax” – Lane Cooper

• “The object of CL is essentially the study of diverse literatures in their relations with one another” – Paul Van Tieghem.

• “CL is the general theory of literary evolution”- H.M.Posnett

Wellek and Warren: CL= cultural equivalent of the movement towards a UN

Assembly

Susan Bassnett: “CL as a discipline has had its day” in “Reflections onComparative Literature in the 21st Century”

G.N.Devy: CL is to assert national cultural identity.

EMILY APTER • “The rush to globalize the literary canon in recent years may be viewed as the ‘comp-lit-ization’ of national literatures throughout the humanities”

• Baldensperger objected to folklore studies because it studied only the content.

• Tieghem was also of the view that folklore should be excluded from CL.

• J.M.Carre- CL is the study of international spiritual relations (“rapport de fait”).

It is a branch of literary history.

Rene Wellek attacked Carre’s views as “pseudo-literary”

SOME SEMINAL WORKS ON CL(WORKS BY INDIAN ACADEMICIANS MENTIONED IN SEPARATE SECTION)

THEORY OF LITERATURE- RENE WELLEK AND AUSTIN WARREN

GROUNDS FOR COMPARISON- HARRY LEVIN

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE IN THE AGE OF GLOBALISATION-CHARLES BERNHEIMER. ed.

INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE LITERATURE- FRANCOIS JOST

THE CHALLENGE OF COMPARATIVE LITERATURE- CLAUDIO GUILLEN

SEMINAL WORKS. . .(CONTD.)

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION- SUSAN BASSNETT

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: THEORY, METHOD AND APPLICATION- STEVEN TOTOSY

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE IN AN AGE OF GLOBALIZATION- HAUN SAUSSY