EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE

In the post-Cold War era and amid the accelerating processes of globalization, Europe’s literary cultures are becoming at once more integrated regionally and more dispersed globally. How should we understand the idea of “European literature” today? This essay argues that the nation remains the fun...

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Main Author: David Damrosch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bucharest University Press 2022-02-01
Series:University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DavidDamrosch1.pdf
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author David Damrosch
author_facet David Damrosch
author_sort David Damrosch
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description In the post-Cold War era and amid the accelerating processes of globalization, Europe’s literary cultures are becoming at once more integrated regionally and more dispersed globally. How should we understand the idea of “European literature” today? This essay argues that the nation remains the fundamental base of literary culture, but it must be understood in terms of a national market rather than a national language. A nation’s literature consists of whatever works circulate within the nation, either in the original language or in translation. Examples as varied as Bartolomé de Las Casas, P. G. Wodehouse, Marguerite Yourcenar, and Eugene Ionesco can suggest something of the international variety that is regularly to be found within a national literary culture. What such cases show is that the national and the global are by no means opposed spheres. Instead, national literatures take on their full meaning when they are seen to be shot through with the international. “European literature” is best understood as the product of a dynamic interplay of the international within the national, and the national within the regional.
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spelling doaj.art-06b6bbaf7d274d7ab2beb333f45db7182023-11-02T06:54:46ZengBucharest University PressUniversity of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series2734-59632022-02-01I/20111EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBEDavid DamroschIn the post-Cold War era and amid the accelerating processes of globalization, Europe’s literary cultures are becoming at once more integrated regionally and more dispersed globally. How should we understand the idea of “European literature” today? This essay argues that the nation remains the fundamental base of literary culture, but it must be understood in terms of a national market rather than a national language. A nation’s literature consists of whatever works circulate within the nation, either in the original language or in translation. Examples as varied as Bartolomé de Las Casas, P. G. Wodehouse, Marguerite Yourcenar, and Eugene Ionesco can suggest something of the international variety that is regularly to be found within a national literary culture. What such cases show is that the national and the global are by no means opposed spheres. Instead, national literatures take on their full meaning when they are seen to be shot through with the international. “European literature” is best understood as the product of a dynamic interplay of the international within the national, and the national within the regional.http://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DavidDamrosch1.pdfeuropean literaturetranslationlas casasyourcenarionesco
spellingShingle David Damrosch
EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE
University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series
european literature
translation
las casas
yourcenar
ionesco
title EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE
title_full EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE
title_fullStr EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE
title_full_unstemmed EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE
title_short EUROPE BETWEEN THE NATION AND THE GLOBE
title_sort europe between the nation and the globe
topic european literature
translation
las casas
yourcenar
ionesco
url http://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DavidDamrosch1.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT daviddamrosch europebetweenthenationandtheglobe