World Literature

A concept coined by Goethe in 1827 proposing that literature should be understood as a global, interconnected phenomenon rather than a collection of isolated national traditions. It emphasizes cross-cultural literary exchange and shared human themes.

The body of works considered by scholars and institutions to be the most important and influential in a literary tradition. Canon formation is shaped by cultural values, institutional power, and historical context, and is continually debated and revised.

A literary mode that incorporates fantastical or supernatural elements into otherwise realistic narratives as a natural part of everyday life. Associated primarily with Latin American literature, it blurs the boundary between the real and the marvelous.

Literary works produced by authors from formerly colonized nations that explore the cultural, political, and psychological impacts of colonialism. These texts often challenge imperial narratives, reclaim indigenous identities, and examine the legacy of colonial power structures.

A long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of legendary heroes, often involving divine beings, vast journeys, and battles that define a culture's identity and values. Epics are among the oldest forms of literature found across world civilizations.

The academic field examining how literary texts are translated between languages, including the theoretical, cultural, and practical challenges of conveying meaning, style, tone, and cultural context from one language to another.

The perspective from which a story is told and the character or consciousness through which the reader experiences events. Different cultures and literary traditions employ distinctive narrative strategies that shape meaning and reader engagement.

A novel that traces the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a protagonist from youth to maturity. The genre originated in German literature and has been adopted and adapted across world literary traditions.

The relationship between texts, where one literary work references, responds to, or is shaped by other works. Intertextuality reveals how literature is a conversation across time, culture, and language.

Literature that is composed, performed, and transmitted orally rather than in written form. Oral traditions include folktales, myths, songs, proverbs, and epic poetry, and they represent the oldest and most widespread form of human storytelling.