What is world literature? David Weltliteratur, or world literature, as

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worldliterat ratu ure re,, as Weltliteratur , or world a star starti ting ng point point to exam examinethephesee es it. it. He expl xplai ains ns Damrosch. Princeton and Oxford: nomenon as hese thatt as as globa globallizati zation on has begun to Princeton University Press, 2003, tha take a larger role in the world, it is 324 pp. easier for individual works of literatur ture eto cross crossbor borde ders. When the they find themselves in a new cultur cultura al  The  Th e dis disa armin ing gly sim imp ple tit title le o of  f  setting, they develop a different David Damrosch’s book, What What is  i s  meaning. Damrosch traces this lead the chan Worl d Literature?, Literature?, might le change geback to to tran transl slati ation on and wonreader to re respon spond d that, of cour course se, ders how lite terrature maintains the   David What Wh at is worl d li te terr ature? 

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national literatures. ” This speaks to the idea of how literature changes once it crosses borders. Damrosch maintainsthat aliterary work never really leaves its place of origin but simply has two foci, one in the host country and one in the original country. This way, the flow of information is constantly moving and transporting ideas and concepts in two different cultures. He goes on to explain that thereis not only one

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world literature when it gains in its translation and is a balanced piece of literature. He uses The Epic of  Gilgamesh as an example of a literary work that has been opened to a wider audiencethrough its growth in translation. His last point is that “world literature is not a set canon of texts but a mode of reading: a form of  detached engagement with worlds beyond our own place and time.”

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what hebelieves world literature to be. He poses a seemingly obvious question and presents passionate potential answers. Although his theories are very interesting, some readers might find theauthor’s vast knowledgeof worldliteraturesomewhat daunting. Damrosch proves himself to bean expert on thetopic of world literature and uses literary

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works from around the world and from several different eras to exemplify hispoint. Theexamplesand stories that he draws upon to produce this study can sometimes seem off topic if onedoes not have agood understanding or background in world literature. Heather O’Dea St. Lawrence University