什么是世界文学(What is world literature)

什么是世界文学(Whatisworldliterature)Worldliteraturevs.nationalliterature?Comparatistsinthepostwareraoften…heldoutmessianichopesforworldliteratureasthecureoftheillsofnationalisticseparatism,jingoismandinternecineviolence—and,byimplication,advancingthecomparatistasthetranscendentheirtothenarrownessofmonolingualspecialization.282Comparativeliteratureasthegrandcorrectivefor“thenationalisticheresy”?Whatdoestheongoingvitalityofnationalliterarytraditionsmeanforthestudyofworldliterature?Worldliteratureasanellipticalrefractionofnationalliteratures:VirtuallyallliteraryworksarebornwithinwhatwewouldnowcallanationalliteratureWorkscontinuetobearthemarksoftheirnationaloriginevenaftertheycirculateintoworldliterature,andyetthesetracesareincreasinglydiffusedandbecomeevermoresharplyrefractedasaworktravelsfartherfromhome.Negotiationbetween2differentculturesThereceivingculturecanusetheforeignmaterialinallsortsofways:1.asapositivemodelforthefuturedevelopmentofitsowntradition2.asanegativecaseofaprimitive,ordecadent,strandthatmustbeavoided3.asanimageofradicalothernessagainstwhichthehometraditioncanmoreclearlybedefined.283Worldliteratureisthusalwaysmuchaboutthehostculture’svaluesandneedsasitisaboutawork’ssourceculture;henceitisadoublerefraction283Recognizingtheongoing,vitalpresenceofthenationalwithinthelifeofworldliteratureposesenormousproblemsforthestudyofworldliterature:LackoftimetolearnabouttheculturalunderpinningsofthechosensubjectsLackoftimetolearndifferentlanguagesProposedSolution:workingcollaborativelyWorkonworldliteratureshouldbeacknowledgedasdifferentinkindfromworkwithinanationaltradition.2861.Selectivity:astudentofworldliteraturehasmuchtogainfromanactiveengagementwithspecializedknowledgeThisknowledgeisbestdeployedselectively,withakindofscholarlytact.286Readershouldbesparedthefullforceofourlocalknowledge.2872.WorldliteratureiswritingthatgainsintranslationAtextisreadasliteratureifwedwellonthebeautiesofitslanguage,itsform,anditsthemes,anddon’ttakeitasprimarilyfactualinintent288someworksaresoinextricablyconnectedtotheiroriginallanguageandmomentthattheyreallycannotbeeffectivelytranslatedatall.[anotherwaytoapproachuntranslatability]288Itismoreaccuratetosaythatsomeworksarenottranslatablewithoutsubstantialloss,andsotheyremainlargelywithintheirlocalornationalcontext,neverachievinganeffectivelifeasworldliteratureExample:李安的色，戒/videoplay?docid=-8451962485484717627&vt=lf&hl=zh-TWCreditandlossintranslationAworkcanholdaprominentplacewithinitsownculturebutreadpoorlyelsewhere,eitherbecauseitslanguagedoesn’ttranslatewellorbecauseitsculturalassumptionsdon’ttravel.289Thebalanceofcreditandlossremainsadistinguishingmarkofnationalversusworldliterature:literaturestayswithinitsnationalorregionaltraditionwhenitusuallylosesintranslation,whereasworksbecomeworldliteraturewhentheygainonbalanceintranslation,stylisticlossesoffsetbyanexpansionindepth…289TheneedtoengagetranslationsEvenwithamajorimprovementinthebreadthoflanguagestudy,andevenwithasubstantialincreaseincollaborativeprojects,itwillbenecessarytomakeactivescholarlyuseoftranslationifwearenottocontinuecuttingourtopicsdowntothesizeofwhateverlinguisticbedisavailabletousatagivenmoment.Itisonlypossibletoengagecriticallywithworksintranslationifwecanallowthatliterarymeaningexistsonmanylevelsofawork.Translationcanneverreallysucceedifawork’smeaningistakentoresideessentiallyinthelocalverbaltextureofitsoriginalphrasing.[Question:theproblemofmisinterpretation/mistranslationorabusivetranslation][“localverbaltextureoforiginalphrasing”Question:ambiguityofthetext]Translation:creativeinteractionbetweenthereaderandthetextNotthelossofanunmediatedoriginalvisionbutinsteadaheighteningofthenaturallycreativeinteractionofreaderandtext.292Thetextexertsapowerfullimitingforceonthevariabilityofreaderlyresponse.292TheuseoftranslationsTousetranslationsmeanstoaccepttherealitythattextscometousmediatedbyexistingframeworksofreceptionandinterpretation.Wenecessarilyworkincollaborationwithotherswhohaveshapedwhatwereadandhowwereadit.298Benjamin”Thetaskofthetranslator”,p.71WorldliteratureasamodeofreadingThegreatconversationof