Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability

Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability argues for a rethinking of comparative literature focusing on the problems that emerge when large-scale paradigms of literary studies ignore the politics of the "Untranslatable"--the realm of those words that are continually retranslated, mistranslated, transferred from language to language, or especially resistant to substitution.

In the place of "World Literature"--a dominant paradigm in the humanities, one grounded in market-driven notions of readability and universal appeal--Apter proposes a plurality of "world literatures" oriented around philosophical concepts and geopolitical pressure points. The history and theory of the language that constructs World Literature is critically examined with a special focus on Weltliteratur, literary world systems, narrative ecosystems, language borders and checkpoints, theologies of translation, and planetary devolution in a book set to revolutionize the discipline of comparative literature.

Author: Emily Apter
Publisher: Verso
Published: 04/23/2013
Pages: 358
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 1.20d
ISBN13: 9781844679706
ISBN10: 1844679705
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Semiotics & Theory

About the Author
Emily Apter is Professor of Comparative Literature and French at New York University. Her published works include The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature and Continental Drift: From National Characters to Subjects.