Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction

by Susan Bassnett

This major new introduction to comparative literature is for the students coming to the subject for the first time. Through an examination of a series of case studies and new theoretical developments, Bassnett reviews the current state of comparative literature world-wide in the 1990s. In the past twenty years of a range of new developments in critical theory have changed patterns of reading and approaches to literature: gender-based criticism, reception studies, the growth of translation studies, deconstruction and orientalism all have had a profound impact on work in comparative literature.

Bassnett asks questions not only about the current state of comparative literature as a discipline, but also about its future. Since its beginnings in the nineteenth century, comparative literature has been closely associated with the emergence of national cultures, and its present expansion in many parts of the world indicates that this process is again underway, after a period of narrowly Eurocentric research in the field.

Genres: Criticism, Nonfiction, World Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Fiction, Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Susan Bassnett is Professor of Comparative Literature in the Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Warwick.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B...

Reviews

[M Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a little outdated, but otherwise a very clear introduction to the field and includes a thoughtful conclusion on the relationship between translation studies and comparative literature.

[Elnaz]

Comparative Literature book written by Susan Bassnett explains to the readers about comparative literature in simple ways. It comes first with an introduction about what comparative literature today is and how it came into being. Bassnet wrote that it is simply about the study of the comparison of one literature with another through cultural historical perspective; for instance, the arts, the science, and religion. The purpose of this study is to examine, compare, group, classify, enquire into the causes, and determine the result of the phenomena of literature as a whole.
Comparative literary study in British Isles has to begin and end with a rethinking of the processes of naming and re-naming context while in the postcolonial world, comparative study due with the recognition of colonialism and all its implications. In constructing cultures comparative study uses map-making, travelling, and translating as its method. As the time passed, the researchers found that this comparative literature study is similar with translation study, therefore, an argument arose whether this study would be preserved or merge with translation studies.
Awareness in the gaps between her knowledge of comparing cultures awaken Bassnett to find out the truth about comparative literature study and wrote this Comparative Literature book. Wrote this book in 1993, Bassnett seems to be compiled many theories from experts existed before her, such as Matthew Arnold, Rene Wellek, Harry Levin, Zhang Longxi, Ferdinand Brunettie, Douglas Hyde, Geoffrey Hill, Rodolfo Gonzalez, and many others. She managed this book firstly by introduce about the topic, how this study came into being, complete with its examples, its conflict who appeared during its process to be a discipline.
This Comparative Literature book is good to read especially if you are literature student, it will enrich your literature knowledge. ‘Buy one get many’, simply by reading this book, you will get much information about comparative literature through many experts perspective, which were compiled and elaborated by Bassnett. In addition, you will know about what happen some years ago in our literature course, its history, and its development. Happy reading!

Chrisna Yosefine

[CM · Rating 2 out of 5]

This textbook shows some key areas in this field (methodology, identity, gender, travel writing) ,but with a presentation closer to "debates in the discipline" than an introductory text, it should not be any reader's first text to the field, for its extensive use of quotes and extracts could be intimidating or slightly disorienting. Its goal appears to be highlighting how various commentators and scholars approached certain issues and debates, which may only appeal to a small selection of readers, not how one may contemplate/appreciate/reflect on world literature.



*Following the reviews here and elsewhere, I didn't read the last chapter when the author advocated for a change that never happened.

[Hagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important book handling comparative literature from different appraches, investigating its different schools, cultural diversity, post-colonialism, and moving towards translation studies as well!
Her way of exploring her topic is quite refined and easy to grasp, and enjoyable even while reading!
p.s. the book is translated as well in Arabic, I think tab3 el mashroo3 el qawmy lel targma and is availabe fi el magles el a3la lel thaqafa!

[Nazriel Putra]

its recomended for university student in english subject

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK introduction to some historical aspects of the field, as well as some contemporary topics. The case studies are sometimes enlightening, but often take absurd turns as soon as Bessnett start abusing various analogies to push her own thesis. This is perhaps not the best choice for a first introduction to comparative literature, and is clearly biased toward particular critical trends popular at the time (~1993). This bias is most evident toward the end of the book.

The book can also be proofread better...My guess is that the last chapter was written in a hurry for some publication deadline. The typos can get pretty ridiculous and hard to ignore.

[Kevser Arslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this was a good book in terms of building a better connection between the history of the field and where it is today. Two things that stood out to me:
As a person with a special interest in translation studies, and even knowing that Bassnett is a prominent scholar in that field, the ending of this book left me feeling a little disappointed because it did feel like she was arguing that comparative literature as a field should be evolving into other things (into translation studies?), because it had its time and does not have much else to accomplish anymore. I don't know if that's the approach we should be taking towards a crisis in any field.
Also, in the chapter on travel writing, I have encountered misspellings of Turkish proper names, which captured my attention because on one occasion it was so wrong that it couldn't even be an alternative spelling for the name of that location. Obviously, the author may not be a specialist in the area and may make mistakes, but usually when there are such mistakes they happen to be on non-western cultures and literatures. From another perspective, catching such things make me question the accuracy of all the other references in the book on cultures that I'm not that familiar with.

[Devrim Güven · Rating 5 out of 5]

But, why did such a boom of “translated literature” occur in the West, particularly in the USA? What were the underlying motivations? For as the first novel of world literature in many sources.
There were two principal factors that attributed authenticity to this instance British scholar of Translation Studies and Comparative Literature Susan Bassnet, relying primarily upon Itamar Evan-Zohar’s Polysystem Theory lists the principal conditions that determine dynamic translational mobilization in a culture as a) “When a literature is in an early stage of development”; b) “When a literature perceives itself to be peripheral or ‘weak,’ or both.” c) “When there are turning points or crises or literary vacuums.” (Bassnet 1998: 142)
Excerpt from: Devrim Çetin Güven (2019) NON-EUROPEAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION: A PLEA FOR THE COUNTER-CANONIZATION OF WELTLITERATUR
Shaping the Field of Translation in Japanese ↔ Turkish Contexts I

[Bilahari · Rating 5 out of 5]

" ... this voyage is one towards self-awareness, towards recognition of responsibility, guilt, complicity and collusion in the creation of the labyrinthine world ... "

A gem! <3

[ciara]

WHAT A PLOT TWIST
so annoying

[Niratisaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

got good explanation on the history of comparative literature and its connection with cultural study and translation, but I reeeeally need the explanation on the method of comparative literature

[Ren]

blech schoolwork

[Waseem]

good