What is Comparative Literature Today? | Susan Bassnett | Group Task | MA Sem 4 #departmentofenglish
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the evolving field of comparative literature, emphasizing its diverse definitions and approaches. It traces the discipline's roots to the 19th century and highlights critical methodologies like deconstruction, translation studies, and post-colonial theory. Citing influential thinkers such as Matthew Arnold and Susan Bassnett, the discussion delves into how comparative literature transcends national and cultural boundaries. The video also addresses challenges within the field, including questions about its object of study, methods of comparison, and the role of translation in shaping literary connections across time and space.
Takeaways
- ๐ Comparative literature is a field that studies texts across cultures, emphasizing the connections between literature across time and space.
- ๐ Comparative literature emerged in the 19th century and differs from national and world literature.
- ๐ง Scholars in comparative literature focus on relationships between literature and other fields like philosophy, history, and human experience.
- ๐ Matthew Arnold noted that every literature is connected, influencing and illustrating one another.
- ๐ Postmodernism and other critical theories like deconstruction, orientalism, and translation studies have reshaped approaches to comparative literature.
- ๐ The field raises questions about the object of study, how to compare literature, and the boundaries between different cultures' literary works.
- ๐ฃ๏ธ The discipline has faced challenges in defining its boundaries, with debates on whether comparative literature is a distinct field or a broader study of literary history.
- ๐ Comparative literature removes boundaries between cultures, encouraging universal harmony and understanding through the study of great literary works.
- ๐๏ธ The field's development has been influenced by post-colonial and global perspectives, challenging Western-centric views and including voices from Africa, India, and the Caribbean.
- ๐ Translation studies have become a significant part of comparative literature, emphasizing the role of translation during periods of cultural change and expansion.
Q & A
What is the general definition of comparative literature according to the script?
-Comparative literature involves the study of texts across different cultures and examines patterns of connection in literature across time and space.
How has the approach to comparative literature changed over time?
-Over time, comparative literature has been influenced by various critical approaches, such as sender-based criticism, translation studies, deconstruction, and orientalism, which have reshaped how literature is studied and analyzed.
What is the simplest answer to the question, 'What is comparative literature?' according to the script?
-The simplest answer is that comparative literature is the study of texts across cultures, focusing on the patterns of connection in literature over time and space.
How did Matthew Arnold contribute to the understanding of comparative literature?
-Matthew Arnold suggested that 'everywhere there is a connection,' emphasizing that no single literature or event exists in isolation but is interconnected with others, thus advocating for a comparative approach to literature.
What is the relationship between comparative literature and other fields like philosophy and history?
-Comparative literature is often studied in relation to other areas of human experience, such as philosophy and history, to better understand the connections between literary works and broader intellectual movements.
How did comparative literature emerge as a field of study?
-Comparative literature emerged in the 19th century from the study of national, general, and world literature. It gained recognition as a formal discipline in the late 19th century, particularly in Germany in 1960.
What challenges have scholars faced in defining the scope of comparative literature?
-Scholars have debated the object of study in comparative literature, questioning how to define it and what aspects to compare. Some argue there is no universal method for studying comparative literature, while others focus on literary history and thematic connections.
How has postmodernism influenced the study of comparative literature?
-Postmodernism has introduced new questions about the purpose and methodology of comparative literature, challenging previous assumptions and pushing scholars to reconsider how and what to compare across different literary traditions.
What role does translation play in comparative literature?
-Translation plays a significant role in comparative literature, especially in periods of cultural expansion and renewal. Scholars argue that translation helps bridge cultural differences and allows for cross-cultural comparisons in literary studies.
How has comparative literature contributed to breaking down cultural and linguistic barriers?
-Comparative literature removes the borders between national literatures, fostering a deeper understanding of different cultures and promoting a sense of universal harmony in literature.
Outlines
๐ Introduction to Comparative Literature and its Modern Relevance
This paragraph introduces comparative literature, highlighting the various ways scholars define it. Despite differing opinions, most agree on its status as a modern literary science. The text mentions critical approaches like sender-based criticism, translation studies, deconstruction, and orientalism, which have influenced comparative literature. Susan Bassnettโs ideas are referenced, emphasizing that comparative literature connects different cultures and literature across time and space. The discussion includes debates on what should be compared and the field's evolving methodologies.
๐ Interconnectedness in Literature and Comparative Studies
This section discusses the universal connections in literature, citing Matthew Arnoldโs view that every event or piece of literature relates to another. Romanticism's influence is explored, noting Edgar Allan Poe and how English authors learned from Russian writers. Comparative literature is seen as breaking boundaries and promoting harmony across different literatures. The paragraph also touches on the ongoing debate about defining comparative literature and whether it should be considered a separate field of study.
๐ Comparative Literature as a Bridge Across Cultures
This paragraph emphasizes how comparative literature transcends cultural boundaries, with scholars like Charles Whistling viewing literature as an integral medium of thought shaped by social, racial, and linguistic factors. The notion of universal harmony through literature is highlighted, with an argument that comparative literature offers broader perspectives, requiring scholars to understand diverse languages and cultures. The paragraph concludes by discussing the impact of critical theories like structuralism, feminism, and psychoanalysis on comparative literature.
๐ Perspectives from Indian and African Critics in Comparative Literature
This section explores non-Western perspectives on comparative literature, focusing on Indian and African scholars. Indian critics challenge Western-centric ideas, advocating for a more inclusive approach that considers sub-national and minority literatures. African scholars, referencing Hegel, critique Western portrayals of African cultures and highlight the importance of acknowledging black culture in literary studies. The paragraph also discusses the relationship between colonialism, national consciousness, and the development of contemporary literature in formerly colonized nations.
๐ Nationalism, Comparative Literature, and Translation Studies
This paragraph discusses the intersection of nationalism and comparative literature, with a focus on Indian scholar Ganesh Deviโs arguments. It highlights how comparative literature developed alongside modern Indian nationalism and how it continues to evolve in non-Western regions. The emergence of translation studies is also covered, emphasizing its role in cultural exchange and the expansion of literary horizons. Translation is seen as crucial during periods of cultural growth, while its importance diminishes when a culture reaches imperial dominance.
๐ Comparative Literature and its Connection to Translation Studies
The final paragraph delves into how translation studies have developed into a distinct field, yet still complement comparative literature. It suggests that comparative literature functions less as a discipline and more as a branch connected to other areas like intercultural studies. Translation studies provide valuable methodologies that help understand the reception and interpretation of literature across cultures. This connection underscores the fluid and interdisciplinary nature of comparative literature.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กComparative Literature
๐กMatthew Arnold
๐กDeconstruction
๐กTranslation Studies
๐กOrientalism
๐กPostmodernism
๐กNational Literature
๐กWorld Literature
๐กFeminism
๐กPsychoanalysis
Highlights
Comparative literature involves the study of texts across cultures, focusing on the patterns of connection in literature across time and space.
There is a lack of a universal method for comparative literature, with critics still debating what exactly constitutes its object of study.
Comparative literature emerged in the 19th century, derived from national literature and world literature.
Matthew Arnold emphasized the interconnectedness of all literatures, noting that no single literature exists in isolation.
Comparative literature transcends national borders, bringing global literature together and promoting harmony.
Many 20th-century critics have questioned the purpose and boundaries of comparative literature, as it spans multiple disciplines such as philosophy, history, and translation studies.
Comparative literature was established as an academic field in the late 19th century, with its growth particularly notable in Germany and later globally.
Romanticism and other literary movements in the 19th century heavily influenced the development of comparative literature.
Comparative literature challenges the dominance of Western literary traditions by including non-Western voices, like African and Indian critics.
Edward Saidโs work on orientalism provided a new perspective for comparative literature, addressing how the West constructs the East.
The growth of national consciousness in various countries, particularly post-colonial nations, has fueled the development of comparative literature.
Comparative literatureโs relationship with translation studies is crucial, as translation plays a vital role in cultural exchange and literary analysis.
The rise of modern Indian nationalism coincided with the development of comparative literature in India.
Translation studies became an integral part of comparative literature in the 20th century, particularly during times of cultural expansion and revolution.
In the 20th century, English became the dominant language of international diplomacy, reducing the necessity for translations, unlike other languages.
Transcripts
literature a critical uh introduction
1939 introduction what is a comparative
literature today uh uh Susan
[Music]
abstract there have been a various
definition of the comparative literature
which are greatly uh various from one
scholar to the another but they all
agreed that it is one of the most modern
literary science throughout the past two
and I guess new criticals here is such
as a sender-based criticism translation
study deconstruction and orientalism
have changed approach to literature and
accordingly have had a profound impact
on the work of the comparison a sooner
or later any anyone who claims to the
working in comparative literature has to
try and answer the
invitable question what is it the
simplest and answer is that a
comparative literature involves to the
study of text across a culture that in
recipient and that it is uh considered
with the patterns of connection in
literature across both time and uh space
and Matthew Arnold says every there is a
connection everywhere there is
illustrations and according to the Susan
Basin everybody who is interested in
books looks in the one one of the path
to competitive literature a comparative
analysis you should have already already
revolves around her study of literature
outside the murders of one uh particular
culture that a study of a relation
between literature on the one hand and
other areas of Human Experience such as
a philosophy on the other hand critics
have also related it to history as to
explain to the conversation of the
different literatures and he is a
historical aspect of influence
considering the comparative literature
is the essence of the history of
literature beyond the scope of one
culture or language another argument is
the is their best student of 1960
claimed that competitive literature
could be put a single boundaries of
comparative literature study but she
says that there is no
Bachelor method used for a climbing
critics at the end of the 20th century
in the age of
postmodernism still
with the some question that were posed
more than a country ago some critics are
a question about
about what is the object of the study in
comparative literature how can compare
uh be the object of anything if a
individual literature have again on what
might a comparative cannot be
and how can we compare is to select what
to compare is a competitive literature A
disclaim or it is the simply a field of
a study
uh intro uh introduction the word is a
comparative literature today is a book
written by Susan uh bestnet he said that
the most of the people uh most of the
people do not start with the comparative
literature but they end up with with in
some way or other or generally these
generally we first start reading the
text and then we arrived the comparison
I mean to say we start comparing that
the text with another uh the similarity
and the similarity compared to
literature emerged in 19th century
foreign
from a national literature General
literature and the world literature it
is to the beginning literature compared
in 1960 in Germany and the comparative
literature gota recognizations uh as a
study in 1897 Matthew Arnold is have a
in lecture at the Oxford in 1857 when he
said that everywhere there is a
connection every where there is a
illustration no a single event no single
literature is adapt to Italy uh
companions expert in relation to the
other event to the other related
literature and uh other critics the
Romanticism are there results is
awakened upon uh weekend upper materials
[Music]
[Music]
may be treated back to the Latin French
Spanish and Italian we can see
we can see have a vocation exactly for
Edgar Allan Poe insulin his own writing
considered how many English author
learned from the great Russian writer of
the 19th century another May a compare a
James borrowing and leading to to
Italian uh saviors uh Clarisse let's
let's talk our remains use the Jain Rush
who is turned to remind us of
literature to comparative literature
because the comparative literature
removes the all borders and bring a
nearer to all literature and spread
harmonies
a previous question I discussed the the
great money other question refusal to go
away in this uh in since 1950 we have
been hearing all too frequently about
the Welling to define the compared the
crisis of the competitive literature
another the comparative literature as a
term since uh to the strong patients
both for the against as early uh 1930
crutches argue that the competitive
literature was a known subjective
non-subjective comparatively
distinguished the suggestion that it
might be the scene as a separate
distance he he discussed the definition
of comparative literature as exploration
in the we studies the alternation
development
development developments and the
regrouple uh different different
differences and the theme of and the
literary ideas across the literature
across the literature and the conclude
that there is no study more right than
the research of of this fruit and
another is uh he he suggested that the
proper object of the study should be the
literary history the comparative history
of uh of literature uh or literature is
a history under understood in uh in its
true sense as a complex explanations of
the literary work in compass in the
oldest relationship dispose in the
yeah in the
com says was of the universal literary
history where else could you ever
and
preparations that are it is a real Zone
dietary
and another he uh he argument was that
the terms uh term of competitive
literature was a Futures uh distillance
and the obvious that that is the fact uh
the fact is that the true object of his
study was a literary history and another
another two uh General
for uh for for uh for vagrance
literature in 1887 and 1910 and another
second uh Journal is a studying a
foreign
he he uh we can see uh we can see it
across a different views regarding
comparative literature that he is
against towards the concept of the
comparative literature these show
various comparative literature all
literature difference uh disappear when
readers take up the great works art is a
seen as a as an instrument of a
universal Harmony and the comparison is
a one who uh vehicles to the spread or
spread of that Harmony
and the another other scholar Heath
North American Charles will uh whistling
he's a competitive uh literature program
in the other era other era as a cross
attacked to the working three mice of
the student of competitive literature
was the literature as a distant and
integral medium of thought a common uh
institutional expressions of humanity
this many intend to be the sure by the
social condition of the individual by uh
uh by a racical historical culture and
linguistic influence opportunity and
restrictions
but
irrespective of the age of pro meated by
the common uh needed in the espritation
experiences of the men sprung from the
uh foreign
psychological and uh and philosophically
and Beyond the common law of material
and modes of the individual and the
social humanities
and uh another other other critic he he
is the search of the methodology
argue that the competitive literature
has some kind of the world world
religious and the underlying suggestion
is the culture and another is the
instrument of the universal Harmony and
the comparisons one
leg and foreign say that the theory of
the literature a book that a book that
even more easily significant in in a
comparative literature when it first
appeared in 1949 He suggests that
comparative literature will make higher
Demand on type of linguistic Pro
fiances of our scholar it asks for a
winding uh for perspectives uh super
superiances of a local and pro Vehicles
sentiments not easy to achieve and
another he uh both the state that the
literature is a one is the art and
Humanity are all it is the idealistic
Vision that uh Vision that really erase
in the after month of a major
International crisis
and uh
and another say the he says the the
Great Waves of the critical thought that
the structuralism though to the post uh
structuralism from feminism to
deconstruction from seminology and uh
psychoanalysis uh further
further discussion I could like
thank you
foreign
and also he is good State point out that
the Indian Scholars called Western
literature so regardless of geographical
predictions included towards literature
Which derived from the Grace Grace Roman
um material via Christianity and his
Trump's English French German and is a
sub-national literature and he is a
quite clear that we have a bringing to
comparative literatures in his term
which he use a radical alternative
perspective and revolution of the
discussions of our national literature
according to those in the west are
thinking that
our terms of a great literatures also
majority versus a minority literature in
the Indian perspective also that
suggested now to discuss about the other
another
Colonial critic
is a essay about
culture how suggested instead of a cross
refreshing there is a effective a
production cross cutting across a side
of social significance and
mby wireless of a pro post Colonial
referring there is a effective
productive cross cutting across a site
of social significant areas and
dielectual disciplinary sense of culture
reference
also the African critical and the whole
race there his view also the another
critic argued that the hegels who argued
that African culture was awake in a
contrast to what his claim where higher
more developed a culture and who are
effectively defined by Africa as a
history the now James need and his essay
and now he attacked a taking of the
Hegel theater though
the outstanding effect of a late 20th
century European culture it's is a
ongoing uh
recolizations with a black culture the
mystery may be theater look so long and
a distant of element of a Black Culture
already there in Indian
latent form enter a realization that the
separation between the culture and was
perhaps all along the ones nature but
one of fourth
also uh they say about that Africa India
Caribbean critics have also challenges
The Refuge refusal of a great deal of a
Western literary criticism to accept the
implications of their literary a theory
and culture of policy also the another
critically
literature in the meaning of the world
we have inherited his inner ideology and
he discussed the way in which the emerge
of the English and academic subject of
the 19th century in a quite clear of a
political implications also Eagleton say
about his explanation of the rise of
English
they discuss about some questions like
literature or produce within the
geographical boundaries of England or
the United Kingdom poor literatures
written in English from all of parts of
the world and Earth where those
between the on the literature on one
hand in a popular the mass mass culture
in other hand also they say about that
19 19th century data how English are
immersed from the uh
from the bills to the Virginia wolves
then also
also well so they said about the work of
Edward said the pioneer of the national
of orientalism but he provided many
critics with a new vocabulary say that
the another critic said he say about
their thesis that the Orient the Orient
was a world which later occurred to in
the wide field of the meanings
associations
in that the way this the note
necessarily refer to the real Orient but
the field of surrounding in the world
oh
also uh the another critical
they say about his work at the meat of
the other and the next word the Sinai
the eyes of the best he says about that
the way to China is the land of the fast
effect becoming the traditionally the
image of ultimate and other in the easy
that the challenge approached by the
non-european critics in the
colonization's nation's systematic
process of inventing other cultures has
put that ideology family back on the
agenda by a literary studies
then he say about the growth of the
national uh National English the growth
of the national Consciousness and the
awareness of the need of the move Beyond
of the colonial Legacy and he led of
significantly and
the development of a contemporary
literature is the many part of the world
world even the subject to enter at the
period of the critics in a decay in the
west they why which play the competitive
literature was immersed to that China
Brazil India or many African nations now
they talks about another another author
said Ganesh Devi's argumented
competitive literature in India
coincidence with the rise of a modern
Indian Nationalism is important because
he so to remind us to the origin of the
term comparative literature in a Europe
a term that the first opinions in the
age of a national struggle when the new
boundaries were begin
immersed in the world questions of the
national culture and the national
identity was under discussion throughout
the Europe and the United States
also he says about that comparatively
pleasure it is a begun and development
development outside like Europe and
United States is a breaking a new ground
and there is a great deal to be a London
from following in this development
uh
also
development also what is the what is
this but the comparatively Tracer but on
under another name now then he say about
data how comparative literature are
emerged and call it a new name that is
the what is the translation study is a
contribution to a competitive literature
in the competitive translation study is
a immersed in the 19 early emerge in May
1917 so what is discussion the
translation studies from the translation
is traditionally throughout is a dream
and the driverizations from a psychology
Theory and developmental by the even
johar and the letter uh foreign
category but these assumptions is now
weighing question the work of a scholar
such a Tory
veterans Herman's Lambert and many
others shows that the translation is
especially significance is a moment of
that the great cultural change then
other that even in johar argues that the
extensive translations activity takes
place when a cultural is a period of a
translation when it is expanding when
its needs a renewable when it is a
pre-revolutionary phase then the
translations play a vital part in the
constructs when our culture is actually
established when it is in a
imperialization stays when is believed
believe itself and dominant and
translation is or less important
than any last or conclude party he said
that English becomes the language of
international diplomacy in the 20th
century and also there was a little need
of a translation his relative property
of a 20th century translations into a
English compared with the professional
of translation and many other languages
in
the competitive literature has always
claimed that translation is a
sub-category but is a translation
studies establishes itself humbly is a
subject based in an Intercultural
studies and offering of a methodology in
some regular both in the term
of a theological and receptive work so
comparative literature is opinions less
like a discipline and more like a branch
of the something else
okay
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