Comparative Literature: Evolution, Theories, and Analysis

Posted on Mar 10, 2025 in Philology

Comparative Literature: An Overview

Comparative Literature emerged as a discipline to organize the interpretation of literature. It has undergone three periods of evolution:

1. 19th Century: National Comparison

Established as a discipline during the rise of sovereign nations after the fall of the ancient regime, the 19th century saw competition between different national literatures. Each nation sought to distinguish itself, leading to a national comparison approach.

This approach is based on “Close Reading”, a method of literary criticism involving a micro-analysis of textual details, focusing on the differences between literary works.

2. 20th Century: Supranational Comparison

The 20th century, marked by war and conflict, witnessed a shift to a supranational comparison. The discipline evolved from studying differences between nations to examining literature as a more global phenomenon.

This supranational approach utilizes “Distant Reading” (theorized by Franco Moretti), which acknowledges the distance between a literary work and its analysis. It focuses on identifying similarities through a macro-analysis.

3. 1960s – Present: Cultural Studies

From the 1960s onwards, Comparative Literature entered a period of Cultural Studies. Literature began to be understood as a cultural product, influenced by history, ideology, politics, and other real-world factors. Accepting literature as a product acknowledges that literature itself is a product of a certain culture.

Three Explanations of Literature

There are three possible explanations of the concept of literature:

1. Rational Explanation

The first rational explanation of literature is Aristotle’s mimesis in the 4th century BCE. Aristotle defined literature as mimesis and originated the creation of genres with his book Poetics. Aristotle’s work was reinterpreted throughout the following centuries.

1.1 Types of Imitation

Different types of imitation depend on three elements:

  • Means: How literature is delivered. Paying attention to the means distinguishes lyric poetry from other forms.
  • Lyric Poetry
  • Mode: The number of voices in the oral representation.
  • Epic Poetry (rhapsody): One person doing everything.
  • Tragedy / Comedy: Different people.
  • Objects: The characters that appear.
  • Superior beings (epic, tragic)
  • Regular beings (comedy)

1.2 Classical Theory of Literature

  • In the 1st Century BCE, the poet Horace defined literature as the imitation of established rules and patterns, imitating the style (decorum). Decorum meant credibility; slaves had to behave like slaves, and nobles had to behave like nobles in literature.
  • Ancient canons and traditions
  • Style (Decorum)

Application of Classical Theory: Longinus

  • In the 1st Century CE, Longinus became the first rhetoric of literature, studying the language used in literary works. He identified a special type of language: rhetorical language.
  • “Excellence” in language (sublimity) was used when explaining natural events = Sublime.

15th – 18th Century CE: Classicist Approach

  • This period marked a shift from the classical approach to the classicist approach.
  • This theory rejected modernity and continued the canons used to study literature, imitating classical modes.
  • The concept changed due to the Renaissance, with some authors writing in newer ways. A distinction emerged between those who wanted to create newer literary works and those who continued to recreate classical works (the classicists). The classicists rejected the newer approach and attempted to imitate the patterns of classical literature.
  • This period ended with the French Revolution and the rise of Romanticism.

Classical vs. Classicist

  • Everything original ↪ the attempt of imitation of the classical tradition from ancient Greece/Rome

20th Century CE: Formalism and Stylistics

  • Formalism and Stylistics involve the study of literary styles.
  • In the rational study of literature, the concept of literature consists in studying the form of literature (formalists): literariness (the way literature tends to use language).

Roman Jakobson defined the use of language in literature as the process of “estrangement”, the effect of literary language. Literature uses language in a different, “strange” way than normal communication. This theory led to Stylistics (the study of how authors use literary language in a particular way). Literary language was referred to as “self-referential” language, requiring attention to what the language is really saying, unlike regular communication language, which is purely for communication.

In 1978, George Steiner defined four sources of “estrangement” or “difficulty”:

  • Contingent: Cultural or historical references that readers may not understand.
  • Modal: Subjective preferences of style – personal preferences.
  • Tactical: Intentional difficulties purposefully placed by the author.
  • Ontological: Works of literature that disrupt literary genres, challenging the definition of a genre.