Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T01:23:07.994Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
This chapter is part of a book that is no longer available to purchase from Cambridge Core

Afterword: The ‘World’ in World Literature

Emily Apter
Affiliation:
New York University
Alec G. Hargreaves
Affiliation:
Florida State University
Charles Forsdick
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
David Murphy
Affiliation:
University of Stirling
Get access

Summary

Perusing the multiple essays in Transnational French Studies: Postcolonialism and Littérature-monde alongside those twenty-seven included in Pour une littérature-monde one is swept into the mental ping-pong of ‘pro’ versus ‘con’ on the question of whether there should be a ‘World Literature in French’ positioned to answer to the widely validated, postcolonially inflected model of Anglophone World Lit. Notable arguments in favour of such a construct touch many bases. Littérature-monde en français replaces the outmoded term ‘Francophone’, a carrier of neo-colonial, orientalist baggage, a ghettoizing, divisive, exclusionary term in publishing and academia, and a tautology, since all speakers of French are Francophone. The ‘world’ can no longer be excluded from literature in French and should be taken fully on board by the Paris-oriented French literary establishment (Michel Le Bris's argument). The strongest literature in French is arguably being produced by extra-hexagonal writers (the manifesto was indeed partly occasioned by their high percentage of literary prizes in 2007). The World Literature perspective brings attention to less internationally exposed writers, putting them into dialogue with each other in an expanded comparative frame. The appellation ‘World Literature’ in institutional academia abolishes the ontologically objectionable ‘us–them’ dichotomy between national and ‘foreign’ language departments. Global literary markets generate new consumers of literature with tastes, interests and cultural literacies no longer satisfied by writing authored by or aimed principally at les Français de France.

Type
Chapter
Information
Transnational French Studies
Postcolonialism and Littérature-monde
, pp. 287 - 295
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×