WORLD LITERATURE TODAY: FROM THE OLD WORLD TO THE WHOLE WORLD

Abstract

Although masterpieces of Western literature have long been considered the cornerstone of World Literature, this stance has started to be questioned with a brand-new global perspective. The problems with today’s perception of Weltliteratur, as well as these of the past, still need clarification at some points. Even though it is unlikely to draw a precise picture of what “World Literature” is or define “the literature” of “the world,” this paper will provide an overview of world literature from the old world to the new with the help of distinctive approaches to definitions of world literature.