Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, by Ulrich Weisstein. (Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1973) Preface: ha!

ter 1 " # $or the st%dents o$ com!arati&e literat%re, ha!ter #'7 $or those o$ literat%re, di$$ic%lty: terminological con$%sion I. Definition 1. re&ie( arre: com!arati&e lit. as a branch o$ lit. history ( em!hasis on ra!!orts de $ait) Baldens!erger: e)cl%ding $ol*lore $rom com!arati&e literat%re +an ,ieghem: com!arati&e literat%re st%dies the actions and in$l%ences e)erted by indi&id%als (e)cl%ding the anonymo%s tradition o$ ancient and medie&al literat%re) Weisstein: those (ho concentrate on belle'lettres !ro!er (o%ld incl%de ancient and medie&al literat%re into com!arati&e literat%re #. om!arati&e literat%re in the direction o$ sociology sho%ld call $or the st%dy on imagination 3. national literat%re: %nits (hich $orm the basis o$ o%r disci!line, de$ined by ling%istic or !olitical'historical criteria -. general literat%re: bears on the $acts common to se&eral literat%res .. (orld literat%re (/oethe): &ario%s nations sho%ld notice and %nderstand each other01the %ni2%eness o$ national literat%res (o%ld be !reser&ed in the !rocess o$ m%t%al e)change and recognition0.3B4y means o$ these (orld(ide contacts, a harmoni5ation (as to ens%e (ithin the indi&id%al literat%res 6. com!arati&e literat%re (7ema*): om. 8it. is the st%dy o$ literat%re beyond the con$ined o$ one !artic%lar co%ntry, and the st%dy o$ the relationshi!s bet(een literat%re on the one hand and other areas o$ *no(ledge and belie$, s%ch as the art,0!hiloso!hy, history, and the social sciences, the sciences, religion, etc. on the other. II. Influence and Imitation 1. emitterintermediaries (transmitters)recei&er #. direct in$l%ence9indirect in$l%ence imitation9creati&e transm%tation conscio%s in$l%ence9%nconscio%s in$l%ence 3. !lagiarism: imitation on the sly or 2%otation (itho%t re$erence to the so%rce -. imitation: a. character b. stylistic: b%rles2%e, !arody, satire, caricat%re (negati&e in$l%ence, co%nter'design) .. ada!tation: creati&e treason (trahison creatrice), re(or*ings o$ a model to ma*e a (or* !alatable to $oreign a%dience, :5ra Po%nd to hinese !oetry 6. in$l%ence9e$$ect( st%dy o$ the a!!reciation or the $ort%ne o$ a (or* by a $oreign (riter) 7.in$l%ence9rece!tion (2%ote, all%sion, analogy, !arallel9a$$inities, so%rce$alse in$l%ence)

;. non'artistic in$l%ences: <ar(in, =ar), >re%d, etc. 9.literary con&ention9tradition: !%blic !ro!erty, collecti&e in$l%ence 1?. de$inition: in$l%ence sho%ld no longer be %nderstood as @ca%sality and similarity o!erating in time.,A that is, as ra!!orts de $ait and !arallels, b%t as a net(or* o$ @m%lti!le correlations and m%lti!le similarities $%nctioning in a historical se2%ence, $%nctioning0 (ithin that $rame(or* o$ ass%m!tions (hich each indi&id%al case (ill dictate. III. Reception and Survival 1. borderline bet(een in$l%ence " rece!tion: in$l%ence sho%ld be %sed to denote the relations e)isting bet(een $inished literary !rod%cts, (hile @rece!tionA ser&es to designate a (ider range o$ s%bBects, namely, the relations bet(een these (or*s and their ambience, incl%ding a%thors, readers, re&ie(ers, !%blishers and the s%rro%nding milie%. #. !henomena associated (ith rece!tion a. $ort%ne (s%ccess) o$ a (or* b. er%dition: re!ertory, !ersonal library c. s!irit%al a$$inity (!sychological rece!tion): the *inshi! o$ the t(o (riters as a !sychological and emotional one d. !ersonal myth or legend: a !oet is read or esteemed only $or a single (or* and biogra!hical $acts are t(isted or sim!li$ied to the !oint o$ distortion, /oethe9Whether e. in&ol%ntary creati&e treason: originated $rom mis%nderstanding $. reci!ient9intermediary g. the image o$ $oreign a%thors h. literary s%r&i&al: canon, res%rrection o$ certain (or*s i. translation: re'translation in e&ery ne( age (hen the (or* re2%ires to be read ane(, a%thenticity9mis%nderstanding, tri&iali5ation, betrayal B. image " national !sychology IV. Epoch, period, generation, movement 3. the idea o$ !eriods is e2%i&alent to the conce!ts o$ !hiloso!hy and to the class in nat%ral st%dy #. e!och: the larger segment o$ the history o$ man*ind, (ith religio%s o&ertone, e!ochs are determined by an @e&ent or time o$ an e&ent mar*ing the beginning o$ a relati&ely ne( de&elo!ment.A 3. !eriod: the shorter segment, a time section dominated by a system o$ norms, (hose introd%ction, s!read and di&ersi$ication, integration and disa!!earance can be traced. -. ,he closer (e come to o%r o(n time, the shorter are the time s!an (e ha&e to co&er. C$ter 1;7?, the !eriods are re!laced by mo&ements. ,he red%ction in si5e, and the $re2%ency o$ change, are d%e to the $act that a$ter 7omanticism art has become sel$'conscio%s and artists are $orced to see* o%t something ne(. .. annalistic a!!roach: can identi$y sim%ltaneo%s e&ents rather than to order or !eriodi5e them (decades, cent%ries) 6. generation: thirty years, the lo(est tem!oral limit o$ a !eriod

7. mo&ement: re!resents a $resh gro%! o$ yo%ths, seldom lasts $or an entire generation, D%rrealism, <adaism ;. mo&ement9school: a mo&ement di$$ers $rom a school in the sense that it is constit%ted by coe&als, so that no teacher'!%!il relationshi! e)ists. 9. international literary mo&ement: an e)am!le o$ 7omanticism, starting at di$$erent years in di$$erent nations, little %nity among nations 1?.concl%sion: the history conce!ts are essential tools to strengthen om!arati&e 8iterat%re as a scholarly disci!le. Eo(e&er, it (o%ld be $oolish to em!loy terms li*e era, age, mo&ement or !eriod statically and mechanically instead o$ dynamically and $le)ibly. V. Genre 1. /eneric !%rity is characteristic o$ the classical or neoclassical $rame o$ mind. C clear'c%t delimitation o$ genres is %nattainable. #. +an ,ieghem: classical tragedy, romantic drama, the sonnet, r%stic no&el, !astoral !oetry, sentimental no&el, restrict the s%r&ey to modern literat%re 3. <i$$ic%lties in trac*ing /ree* " 7oman genres: the e)istence o$ models is hy!othetical1 a genre c%lti&ated in anti2%ity &anished, b%t its name !ersists and ser&es $or a modern genre (contamination), e). Datire9satyr !lay -. the modern (riter is not as m%ch concerned (ith adhering to the con&entions o$ a (ell' de$ined genre. ,he notion o$ genre $ades in light o$ the notion o$ techni2%e .. literat%re in$l%enced by Friental models s%ch as Ga!anese hai*%, Hoh !lay. It is im!ossible to trans!lant a genre (hich is $irmly anchored in a s!eci$ic historio'geogra!hical conte)t. 6.!%re analogy st%dies in com!arati&e genology are li*ely to bene$it the Friental and Fccidental literat%re 7.e!ic !oetry, lyrical !oetry, drama, didactic (ritingsIdidactic is a mode, not a *ind or genre ;.ho( to de$ine marginal $ormsIthe essay, biogra!hy, a%tobiogra!hy 9.classi$ication ( by means of imitation in CristotleJs sense) a. e!ic (lang%age)9&erse (combines meters) b. no&el9no&ella9the short story: n%mber o$ (ords (length) c. naK&e9sentimental: !sychological criteria d. tragedy9!oetry: intended e$$ect (tragedy is to aro%se !ity and $ear) e. mythology9!oetry: narrati&e o$ e&ents1 !oint o$ &ie( $. stream o$ conscio%sness9other $ictional mode: technical or stylistic de&ices g. elegy9satirical !oetry: meter h. bild%ngsroman9!astoral9!olitical9co%rtly9%to!ian $iction: s%bBect matter 1?. concl%sion: (e sho%ld endea&or to dra( lines o$ demarcation (here conditions are s%itable and ma*e s%re that o%r terminology is consistent and h%manly !ossible and com!atible (ith historical conte)t. VI. Thematology (!lease re$er to the o%tline o$ the re!ort made on 1?9#9) VII.The utual Illumination of the !rt" 1. 7ema*Js de$inition: the st%dy o$ the relationshi!s bet(een literat%re on the one hand and

other areas o$ *no(ledge and belie$, s%ch as the arts0on the other.A (as long as literat%re is the $ocal !oint) #. Bro(n: all the $ine arts are similar acti&ities, des!ite their di$$ering media and techni2%es, and there are not only !arallel bet(een them ind%ced by general s!irit o$ di$$ering eras, b%t that there are $re2%ently direct in$l%ences. 3. the st%dy o$ arts in their m%t%al inter!enetration: o!era, emblematics, $ilm -. !re&io%s st%dies: =odern 8ang%age Cssociation o$ Cmerica (=8C), in >rance, in /ermany ..Cnalogy bet(een lit." art a. Wylie Dy!herJs Four Stages of Renaissance StylePo!eJs moc*'heroic e!ic The Rape of the Lock and Wattea%Js !ainting b.When (e %se ling%istic or national bo%ndaries as criteria in the st%dy o$ the interrelation bet(een the arts, (e are e)ercising o%r !rerogati&e (itho%t acco%nting $or the 2%alitati&e di$$erences (hich !re&ail bet(een the &ario%s media and techni2%es. c.com!arati&e aesthetics: analogies, terms: statics, dynamics, o!en " closed $orm, %nity, m%lti!licity, rhythm d. to st%dy literat%re and art in relation to the !eriod or mo&ement, one can and m%st consider the artistic intentions as &oiced in the theoretical mani$estos. LD%rrealism e. the literary historian has to ta*e art history and m%sicology into acco%nt beca%se so m%ch is to be learned in stylish matters. Period terms are deri&ed $rom the other arts 6.$%sion o$ the arts a. conglomerates: o!era, $ilm, ballet, cartoon, /ree* tragedy, Dha*es!earean !lays b. do%ble talent: Blac*, ,hac*eray, 7ossetti, =ichelangeloI!ictorial " !oetic, stylistic la(s c. &erbal e)!ression in the direction o$ m%sic or as the &ehicle o$ images and symbols d. the more com!le) the (or* is, the more di$$ic%lt is the com!arison m%sic " lit.: :liotJs Four Quartets, Eermann EasseJs Der Steppenwolf, MeatJs @Fde to a /recian UrnA, Po%ndJs hai*%'li*e !oem @In the Dtation o$ the =etroAI hybrid !henomenon !lastic arts " lit.: Matherine =ans$ieldJs @Eer >irst BallA, +irginia Wool$Js To the LighthouseIm!ressionism 7. artistic ins!iration: melodic'rhythmic incitation " literary @in$l%encesA ;. image and mirage st%dies: national myths and legends are e)!ressly dealt (ith, leitmoti$ C!!endi) I Eistory C!!endi) II Bibliogra!hy N%estion: 1. =ore ra!!orts de $ait, or more aestheticO ,he innate dilemma o$ om!arati&e 8iterat%re.