Concepts of World Literature, Comparative Literature, and a Proposal

In his article, "Concepts of World Literature, Comparative Literature, and a Proposal," Marián Gálik surveys the concept of world literature as it occurs within comparative literature based on Goethe's Weltliteratur. Given its recurrent yet problematic occurrence, he proposes a way in which comparatists can acknowledge and address the problems of the concept of a world literature. The concept is surveyed across various texts and studies and is mapped out in accordance with the ways in which it has been defined and discussed. The picture that emerges is the problem of national delimitations within the context of an international setting. Gálik urges that the solution to this problem may be found via the development, pursuit, and administration of International Scientific Projects. In this way, various determinations may come to occupy and interrogate a shared conceptual terrain, namely, that of a world literature.