The World Republic of Letters

Abstract

Preface to the English-Language Edition Introduction: The Figure in the Carpet Part I: THE LITERARY WORLD 1. Principles of a World History of Literature The Bourse of Literary Values Literature, Nation, and Politics 2. The Invention of Literature How to Devour Latin The Battle over French The Cult of Language The Empire of French The Herderian Revolution 3. World Literary Space Roads to Freedom The Greenwich Meridian of Literature Literary Nationalism National versus International Writers Forms of Literary Domination 4. The Fabric of the Universal The Capital and Its Double Translation as Litterarisation Language Games The Importance of Being Universal Ethnocentrisms Ibsen in England and in France 5. From Literary Internationalism to Commercial Globalization? Part II. LITERARY REVOLTS AND REVOLUTIONS 6. The Small Literatures Literary Destitution Political Dependencies National Aesthetics Kafka and the Connection with Politics 7. The Assimilated Naipaul: The Need to Conform Michaux: What Is a Foreigner? Cioran: On the Inconvenience of Being Born in Romania Ramuz: The Impossible Assimilation 8. The Rebels Literary Uses of the People National Tales, Legends, Poetry, and Theater Legacy Hunting The Importation of Texts The Creation of Capitals The International of Small Nations 9. The Tragedy of Translated Men Thieves of Fire Translated from the Night Comings and Goings Kafka: Translated from Yiddish Creators of Languages Literary Uses of the Oral Language Andrade: The Anti-Camoes Swiss Creoleness 10. The Irish Paradigm Yeats: The Invention of Tradition The Gaelic League: Recreation of a National Language Synge: The Written Oral Language O'Casey: The Realist Opposition Shaw: Assimilation in London Joyce and Beckett: Autonomy Genesis and Structure of a Literary Space 11. The Revolutionaries Dante and the Irish The Joycean Family The Faulknerian Revolution Toward the Invention of Literary Languages Conclusion: The World and the Literary Trousers Notes Index