02 - Literature as a World [Pascale Casanova]
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the concept of world literary space, focusing on Pascale Casanova's theory of literature as a parallel, autonomous territory that mediates between the world and literary works. It delves into the relationship between literature and history, highlighting how literary theory and criticism address this connection differently. Casanova critiques the idea of 'world literature' and presents a dynamic, uneven literary space shaped by political, social, and cultural struggles. The discussion emphasizes the temporal and spatial inequalities in literature and how writers occupy both national and global positions within this space.
Takeaways
- 🌐 **World and Literature**: The terms 'world' and 'literature' are distinct, with 'world' referring to the global context and 'literature' to artistic texts.
- 🤔 **Questioning the Bond**: Literature's relationship with history and the world is a complex and ongoing question in literary studies.
- 📚 **Criticism vs. Theory**: Criticism is text-based and internal, while theory applies external knowledge to interpret literature.
- 🔄 **Mediating Space**: Casanova proposes a space between the world and literature where literary works exist relatively autonomously.
- 🎭 **Struggles and Refraction**: Various worldly struggles, including political and social, enter this mediating space but are refracted through a literary logic.
- 🏆 **World Literary Space**: Casanova rejects the concept of 'world literature' as a body of work and instead sees it as a space between the world and literature.
- 📈 **Evolution of Literary Space**: The literary space has grown from a small emergence in France and England to a global scale, becoming inconsistent and uneven.
- 📉 **Inequality and Autonomy**: Literary space is characterized by structural inequalities, with some areas having more literary autonomy than others.
- 🌀 **Greenwich Meridian of Literature**: There is an uneven scope of literary space, with a center of power and areas ahead or behind in 'literary time'.
- ⏳ **Temporalities in Literature**: Literary movements and criticism deal with temporalities, with works moving in and out of the literary canon.
- 🌍 **Global and National Positions**: Every writer occupies both a national and a global position within the literary space, indicating a complex interplay between the two.
Q & A
What is the main proposition of the script regarding the relationship between 'world' and 'literature'?
-The script suggests that 'world' and 'literature' are distinct concepts that are not inherently related. It emphasizes the need to understand the relationship between literature, history, and the world, and proposes that literature can both reflect the world and create its own worlds.
What does the script say about the role of criticism and theory in studying literature?
-Criticism is primarily text-based and focuses on the world within the text, while theory adopts a broader perspective by applying theories from other domains to understand literature. Both criticism and theory are in a constant negotiation to establish a bond between literature and the world.
What is the mediating space proposed by Casanova between 'world' and 'literature'?
-Casanova proposes a mediating space that is relatively autonomous from the political domain and dedicated to the invention of specifically literary nature. This space allows struggles from the world to enter but they are refracted according to a literary logic.
How does Casanova define 'world literary space'?
-Casanova defines 'world literary space' as a space between the world and the body of works, where literary activity occurs. It is a space with interconnected positions, and literary activity is seen as a world in its own.
What does the script suggest about the global scale of literary space?
-The script suggests that literary space is global in scale but is also uneven, with different cultures and spaces having varying degrees of autonomy and influence.
How does the script explain the concept of 'literary time'?
-The script explains 'literary time' as the temporal progression of aesthetic modernity within literary space, where certain spaces may be ahead or behind others in terms of literary development.
What is the significance of the Nobel Prize in the context of the script?
-The Nobel Prize is cited as an indicator of the existence of a world literary space, where the artistic merit of works is debated, and winners gain global literary fame.
What does the script mean by the 'Greenwich Meridian of literature'?
-The 'Greenwich Meridian of literature' refers to the center of literary power, from which literary time and influence radiate. As one moves away from this center, the influence of aesthetic modernity varies.
How does the script describe the relationship between national and international literary spaces?
-The script describes the relationship as not being separate spheres but rather occupying the same domain, with national and international struggles taking place within national borders.
What are the primary characteristics of literary space according to the script?
-The primary characteristics of literary space are hierarchy and inequality, with autonomy being a significant factor that influences the literary resources available within the space.
What are the three modes of domination in the lateral space mentioned in the script?
-The three modes of domination in the lateral space are linguistic, literary, and political, with literary often being overshadowed by linguistic or political modes.
Outlines
📖 Understanding the Relationship Between World and Literature
This paragraph explores how the terms 'world' and 'literature' represent different concepts and are not inherently related. It introduces Casanova’s hypothesis, which questions the bond between literature, history, and the world. The discussion highlights two conflicting approaches to studying literature: criticism (which is text-focused) and theory (which uses external frameworks to analyze literature). Neither approach fully explains the relationship between literature and the world. Casanova suggests a mediating space where literature operates relatively autonomously from politics, allowing literary discussions to remain distinct.
🌍 The Concept of World Literary Space
Casanova's theory is further explained through the idea of 'world literary space,' which is not merely globalized literature, but a mediating territory between world events and the body of literary works. This space is complex and interconnected, yet autonomous. Casanova uses the metaphor of a Persian rug, where patterns are only visible from a certain perspective, to explain how literature must be understood in relation to its historical and cultural context. The paragraph gives examples of how works like those of Chetan Bhagat gain significance within India's post-globalization literary space.
🏛️ Unevenness in World Literary Space
Casanova traces the development of literary space from its origins in 16th-century Europe to its global expansion. She emphasizes that this space is uneven, with some areas reflecting more of the world's political and social struggles than others. The autonomy of literary space varies by region and culture. The paragraph explains how political struggles used to be expressed allegorically in literature, but now they are often addressed directly. Casanova's discussion of literary time and space highlights the importance of understanding literature through both temporal and spatial lenses.
🧭 The Greenwich Meridian of Literature and Power Structures
This paragraph introduces the concept of the 'Greenwich Meridian of Literature,' where aesthetic modernity emerges unevenly across global literary spaces. Casanova argues that literary spaces operate differently from political or social systems, as their elements are connected through objective, not interactive, relationships. The focus shifts to the hierarchical nature of literary space, where writers occupy both national and global positions. Autonomy and power within this space are influenced by linguistic, literary, and political domination, shaping the dynamics of rivalry and competition in the global literary field.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡World Literature
💡Literary Space
💡Criticism
💡Theory
💡Post-Colonialism
💡Autonomy
💡Inequality
💡Domination
💡Global Scale
💡Greenwich Meridian of Literature
💡Temporalities
Highlights
Literature is not simply a reflection of the world but has a complex relationship with it.
Literature and world are distinct concepts with literature being artistic text and world referring to the global setup.
Pablo Casanova's hypothesis questions the traditional bond between literature, history, and the world.
Criticism and theory are two modes of studying literature, often in conflict regarding the relationship between text and world.
Criticism is text-based and internal, focusing on the world within the text, whereas theory is external and broader.
Casanova proposes a mediating space between world and literature, a parallel territory with relative autonomy.
Literary space is a concept where only literary activities are possible, shaped by a logic of literature.
World literature is not a body of work but a space where literary works interact with the world.
The literary space is uneven, with different refraction of real-world struggles in different cultures.
Casanova uses the metaphor of a Persian rug to explain the interconnected positions within the literary space.
Understanding literature requires shifting focus and adjusting context, such as considering the post-globalization period in India.
The literary space has a history, starting from a small space in France and England and expanding globally.
The literary space is characterized by structural inequalities, which are visible through conflicts and struggles.
The Nobel Prize is cited as an indicator of the existence of the world literary space.
The Greenwich Meridian of literature is a concept that describes the uneven scope of the literary space.
Literary space is not a world system but a structure with objective relations that can operate outside direct interaction.
Every writer occupies two positions: national and global, indicating that national and international struggles occur within the same domain.
The literary space is characterized by hierarchy and inequality, with autonomy being a key factor in its operation.
There are three modes of domination in the literary space: linguistic, literary, and political.
The concept of world literary space opens up new ways to look at literature and literary study.
Transcripts
while literature does not mean
literature from around the world we saw
that proposition in the last
presentation now we will understand
another important framework for
literature is a simple phrase but we
have to remember that both words world
and literature signify different
concepts which are not actually related
to each other that means world is
different set up or structure and so as
literature world means the earth
together with all of its countries and
people and literature means walks or
text in any form especially which have
some artistic merits that's why it is
important to understand pablo Casanova's
hypothesis of literature has evolved she
starts with questioning the bond between
literature history and the world it is
interesting and somehow evident that
this has been one of the consistent
question in literary stories if you are
asked that what relation do they have
then some of us may be tempted to say
that world is everything so literature
must be a part of world on the other
hand literature can talk about other
worlds than our own so that can mean
world is part of literature but as we
shall see neither of the position is
complete or fruitful
criticism and theory two modes of
studying literature they are always in
this negotiation to establish bond
between literature and world but both
ends up taking opposite positioned
criticism is mainly text base it sees a
text first and then brings called in to
it so it is internal in nature it talks
about world within the text and hence d
limits itself it seems to have autonomy
regarding the working of criticism on
the other hand theory is different it
takes up a theory from other domain of
knowledge and it tries to see literature
from that Theory's perspective so a work
of literature will have less
significance than Theory through which
we look at it
Casanova cite example of post
colonialism and says that it posits a
political link between literature and
history but then runs into a kind of
external criticism in which political
gain more highlight than literally so
here working of literary theory becomes
dependent on whichever theory we have
taken up so she proposes a model she
proposes a mediating space between world
and literature and literature here is
body of works she sees it as a parallel
territory which is relatively autonomous
from political domain
and dedicated as a result two questions
debates an invention of a specifically
literary nature in this mediating space
only literary is possible in this space
all kind of struggle from the world
enters struggles which can be political
social national it can be about gender
or ethnicity they all can enter this
mediating space but they are refracted
according to a literate logic and they
have to take shape in form of a literary
firm Casanova also calls it wall
literary space she rejects all notion of
world literature by saying that it is
not a body of literature expanded to the
wall scale but as we show it it is a
space between world and that body of
works so this piece has a set of
interconnected position and she tries to
think of it as a world in its own so
these are the three primary proposition
of her theory world literary space there
is not body of literature raises space
in which there are some position which
are interconnected and we have to think
of literary
od literature literary activity as a
world she takes up example of a story by
hemorrhaging and regimes figure in the
carpet in the story
James employs metaphor of a Persian rug
if we look at it from clothes it may
seem odd combination of colors and
patterns but from little distance we can
see a set of motives in relation to one
another and this is how we can
understand worldly space each text or
author occupying a position in this
larger design of volatile space we can
grasp it by shifting our focus and
adjusting it to the context surrounding
that work or that author for example
classicist or people who are obsessed
with classic British literature they
would pronounce Chetan Bhagat or a
mystery party as not good or unworthy of
attention but when we place them in post
globalization period in India and
understand the literary market of Indian
English literature while taking account
of intended readers the new middle class
of India we may be able to appreciate
them more and understand their position
and working in India literally space and
also in world literally space hence
Casanova urges to start far from the
text and move towards it to understand
it better
Casanova traces birth of literary space
or we can say she tries to understand
how it came to be a space that is global
in the scale
she starts from 16th century when a
little space emerged in France and
England which was expanded across Europe
in 18th century and throughout the globe
in 20th century especially by
decolonization and as it grew it became
inconsistent and uneven so one of the
major thing about this literary space is
that it is uneven some where refraction
of real world struggle are more than at
other culture other spaces and because
of this difference there is also
difference in autonomy of this base for
example all the writers used to write
about political struggles in form of
allegories nowadays we can find novels
which can directly mention government or
government agencies as bad or villainous
so Casanova tells how she is not talking
about universalism
because that kind of structure would see
a standardization or normalization of
themes form languages or story types
across the world she's not talking about
how Bengali literature and Gujarati
literature are globalised how a story
from Bengal France Gujarat
are moving towards same target category
in terms of theme or story type but this
space wall literary space is about
structural inequalities within
literature and this inequalities this
conflicts within it makes it visible to
us so she cites nobel prize as an
indicator example every year what
happens surrounding Nobel Prize or essay
Oscar award each year certain works from
certain literature's are put in
competition various promotion or
demotion of credible credibility of
works are done in various ways and their
artistic merit are debated then someone
wins it and Prize winner gains a
literary Fame on global scale where
these people rejects critics choice and
proclaim them as biased it happens every
year and next time it all starts afresh
so it is not subject to any other domain
this all activity that is happens
surrounding two Nobel Prize
it is only literally and it is also
global so it indicates existence of
world Latorre space then she talks about
Greenwich meridian of literature named
after Greenwich meridian of time the
scope of this voluntary space is very
much uneven so there must be a center
where literally has more power than
political and as we move further from it
that particular line
it stretches what can be called
literary time that is when aesthetic
modernity hits certain space so the zml
Greenwich Meridian of literature will be
present but a future for spot for the
spaces and they will be behind it in
literary time we will also have to
understand what literary space in terms
of temporalities there was modernity our
aesthetic modernity is always a sight of
struggle criticism is always engaged in
classification or declassification of
works and terms like former modern or
new classic makes it evident that
criticism deals in temporalities so a
mod or a movement can be dominating only
for a time being when it enters corpus
of classic it becomes steady while
modern works come and try to accelerate
the temporality of certain space for
example how modernism starts after 1960s
in gujarati literature when it was
already modernism sorry post-modernism
in GML that is european countries so we
have to always understand literature in
terms of temporalities and only then we
can use the unevenness of the literary
space and understand certain portions of
this space Casanova
tries to call it world space only it is
not a world system because she described
how
a space or structure is different from
system system implies interactive
relations between every element and
every position they have to be in
interactive relation whereas a structure
implies objective relations which can
operate outside of any direct
interaction so that's why it is a world
space so volatile space is not a sphere
above others in which only a few great
writers can live but it is a space which
occupies every writer everywhere this
means it can occupy Shakespeare it can
occupy Chetan Bhagat and it can occupy
the writer who has started writing today
anywhere anytime this also means that
every writer occupies two positions one
national another is global maybe in
terms of Indian writers we may have a
regional position also that's why this
international struggles actually takes
place within national borders so
national and international are not
separate spheres but they occupy same
domain as opposition's so hierarchy and
inequality becomes primary
characteristics of this literary space
so whenever literary world has more
autonomy it will have more literary
resources autonomy however is not
unrelated it implies that events within
literary world are autonomous important
dates manifestos heroes capital cities
they all contribute to early history
which is different from political
wherever a little space would have less
autonomy more history from political
domain will enter into it and there are
forms of domination mainly three modes
of domination in this lateral space
linguistic literary and political in
most of cases literary is overshadowed
by linguistic or political mode
historically structured relation of
literal domination remains hidden from
critical attention so this mode of
domination combined with literary
inequality gives birth to their own
forms of struggle rivalry and
competition this idea of world literally
space opens up new question to look at
literature and literary study itself in
a new way we have taken up two important
framework to understand what literature
till now next presentation will cover a
different framework from these two thank
you
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