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Journal of World Literature

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• Comparative Studies & World Literature
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Facing Challenges and Opportunities

Chinese-western comparative literature and poetics, some under heaven, world literature and the deceptiveness of labels, east-west cross-cultural encounters of the lyric, horace ( bce  65–8) and tao yuanming ( ce  365–427), the early modern period, dream of the red chamber , and world literature, confrontation and withdrawal, the literature of “denitiation”, understanding “world literature” in china today, comparative literature in taiwan in the age of world literature, manipulated translation, politicized canon, reception of the gadfly in china, a re-deliberation of minzu literature and world literature, the literary world in alai’s writing.

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Welcome to the World Literature Research Guide!  Here, you will find a variety of resources that have been chosen specifically for the research of World Literature. On this page, you will find the best bets for any initial research of your research topic. From there, you can explore the other tabs as you dig deeper into your research. 

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Comparative and World Literature

Comparative and World Literature explores an increasingly inclusive and diverse “planetary” array of “world literatures” in the most linguistically and culturally specific senses of the term. Encouraging critical analysis of literary genres, literary and cultural histories, theories, and methodologies both within and across different linguistic, literary, cultural, philosophical, economic, political, scientific, and technological contexts, the field bridges time periods and geographic regions, languages and cultures, hermeneutics and poetics.

Welcoming transnational, transcultural research in and across all genres including hybrid, cross-genre, cross-disciplinary, multi- and intermedial works that challenge singular generic identifications, Comparative and World Literature continually asks how what we call “literature” engages with and responds to other discourses and disciplines, and what the borders of such a complex, ever-changing object of study might be. 

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World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650

(6 reviews)

Laura Getty, North Georgia College & State University

Kyounghye Kwon, University of North Georgia

Copyright Year: 2015

ISBN 13: 9781940771328

Publisher: University of North Georgia Press

Language: English

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Reviewed by Suzanne Bessenger, Associate Professor, Randolph College on 12/3/19

The text provides a selection of texts appropriate to a survey of Asian religions course. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text provides a selection of texts appropriate to a survey of Asian religions course.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Translations are accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The text's translations are antiquated, but not so much so that they would be unusable in an undergraduate classroom.

Clarity rating: 4

Again, the translations are antiquated, which makes them not as accessible as more recent translations. They remain usable, however. The introductions to each region from which the texts are drawn are short, but clear.

Consistency rating: 5

The formatting and quality of the book is consistent throughout.

Modularity rating: 3

Unfortunately, this book is only available as three PDFs. The reader thus needs to scroll down through each PDF to find the appropriate page. Hypertext links would improve the navigability of the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is clearly organized by geographical region, with each book section beginning with short descriptions of historical eras and regions.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is a PDF document. Although this format makes for slow navigability, it has the virtue of being free of interface problems.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

In my perusal of the text, I encountered no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is a survey of world literature, and thus is inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and cultures. In my perusal of the text, I encountered nothing insensitive.

Reviewed by Rebecca Sailor, Professor, Humanities, Aims Community College on 6/24/19

This book comprehensively covers ancient literature to 1600 with key works. read more

This book comprehensively covers ancient literature to 1600 with key works.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This book draws from high quality translations. The authors combine translations and make improvements when needed.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book will maintain longevity for some time; these works will not fade in terms of importance.

This text combines the best free texts available to date. There are more accessible, fresh versions of many of these stories, but they are unlikely to be able to provided for free.

The book is consistent with a reliable structure: effective introductions and reading questions are present at each new section.

This book is effective in terms of modularity; there are clear sections provided in the table of contents, but it would be easy to create a class according to different modules such as geography, heroes/epics, etc. However, because the texts are provided in their entirety, they are quite long. This could make it difficult to create shorter thematic sections around topics.

This text is clearly organized around geographical locations, and there are excellent introductions to each chapter. Textual notes on the part of the authors help to provide context.

Interface rating: 3

The interface is not significantly flawed, but there is some room for improvement. For example, adding document links that hop from the table of contents (TOC) to the page where the selection begins (and links that hop from the end of a selection back to the TOC) would help the reader navigate more quickly when searching for something, since this .pdf quite lengthy. Additionally, adding subsections to the TOC would help the reader navigate more quickly. For example, if there are multiple books or translations in each work, having the TOC list those subsections/page numbers would be helpful.

This work is excellently edited.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This edition reflects ample diversity. However, there is an opportunity to add even more sources; for example, poetry of Sappho and the Book of the Dead might be nice additions.

I'm grateful that this book has been created and provided for students' and instructors' use. It is extremely convenient to have these sources combined for use in literature, humanities, and history courses. Thank you!

Reviewed by Jessica Tvordi, Associate Professor, Southern Utah University on 8/2/18

For a compact anthology, this title is comprehensive in in coverage of world literature—from Ancient Greece and Rome, to Asia and India, to medieval and Renaissance Europe, to Native American texts of the New World. Unfortunately, it does not... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

For a compact anthology, this title is comprehensive in in coverage of world literature—from Ancient Greece and Rome, to Asia and India, to medieval and Renaissance Europe, to Native American texts of the New World. Unfortunately, it does not include any women writers, which is beyond unfortunate given that they work acknowledges in its introduction the importance of some of these works in examining the roles of women. If I used any one of the texts three sections, I would need to supplement, especially for Part 3.

The content is accurate, error-free, and unbiased to the best of my knowledge (given the anthology's historical scope).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The authors successfully situate the literary works within the broader culture, history, and geopolitics of the ancient world through the Renaissance in a way that is informative and unbiased. Thus, subsequent research on these areas would not render the work obsolete, and any changes to the framework for the anthology of texts would be minimal. The lack of women writers, however, may make this text seem outdated to some potential adopters.

Clarity rating: 5

The introductory sections are written clearly, and will be easily accessible to undergraduate students. The text is low in jargon, and the tone seems geared toward sophomore or less experienced students—maybe even non-majors.

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework across the three parts.

Modularity rating: 5

I think the text is successful in this regard, keeping in my that this is not a textbook conveying information but rather an anthology of literary works. For that reason, there are large blocks of text without subheadings, but there's really no way to avoid that.

The organization makes sense and is consistence across the the parts or volumes of the text.

The text has no interface issues—it is easy to navigate and created no confusion for the reader.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text is culturally relevant with regards to nation and ethnicity, but excludes women writers, which will make this book less competitive than the conventionally published anthologies which have been addressing this issue for decades.

I found the student engagement questions included in each part very helpful and relevant. The writers are very attuned to the needs/limitations of undergraduate readers of classic literature, and this is something I would like to see in more anthologies. I also appreciate that the text is set up to be used thematically and comparatively—again, the writers have offered something that the instructor usually has to work out herself.

Reviewed by Rachael Hammond, Lecturer, Shenandoah University on 5/21/18

Creating a text such as this one could be daunting. The text is already separated into three pdf’s, so including more texts could become unwieldy at some point. Including more introductory notes on form might be helpful. Those already... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Creating a text such as this one could be daunting. The text is already separated into three pdf’s, so including more texts could become unwieldy at some point.

Including more introductory notes on form might be helpful. Those already provided are strongly composed and quite helpful. For instance, the introduction to Homer provides great background information on the consistent appreciation for Homer’s writing talents. However, the note, if longer, could address the beauty of the original poems, especially since the translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey are in a prose-like form. At the same time, thought, the poetic translation of The Aeneid, which is included, does provide counterpoint lessons not only on approaches to epic storytelling but also on approaches to translation work itself.

Also, perhaps including more Dante and even just a few samples of Boethius and Petrarch could enliven the European portion of the second book, particularly inasmuch as they could further exemplify the shift from medieval European to the Renaissance European cultural mindsets. The pictures accompanying the Canterbury Tales are great; including some introductory notes on illuminated manuscripts and the craft of writing could enliven that portion of the text while also positioning a great comparison with how that craft developed and evolved in other key cultures featured in the text.

The third book ably crosses the Atlantic, with the inclusion of various Native American pieces. They deliver wonderful examples for demonstrating both a contrast of cultural perspectives as well as a commentary on the universal human experience. Including some Francis Bacon in the third book could prove a meaningful addition, as well, especially given the rise of the essay.

Otherwise, including samples of South America and Africa could further strengthen the text’s comprehensives while also offering professors opportunities for still more comparisons of mythologies. –But again, as the books are already lengthy, decisions about what to include must certainly be difficult.

Translations comprise the bulk of the textbook. The translators include both recent quality translations as well as those long-revered (such as Samuel Butler). Editorial acumen seems exhaustive and precise.

Both the texts themselves and the introductory sections are relevant, particularly for a world literature or an ancient literature course. The editors’ notes are clear and gently illuminate the timeless relevance of the text’s contents. The works included in this book are timeless classics that comment on universal literary themes. In addition, the works provide great grounding for students who need to develop their ability to recognize Classical allusions in other literary works.

The translations and unit introductions are clear. The text also includes some helpful tools to help students in better understanding the works of literature and the cultures of the authors and original readers/listeners. For instance, the introduction to The Aeneid includes a helpful chart that helps students to understand the comparisons of the Greek versus the Roman forms of the ancient gods.

Consistency rating: 4

The three books demonstrate an effort to balance both the cultures and the genres represented in the given time period.

The text is clearly delineated in the table of contents, allowing professors to use the text either in a cultural approach, an historical approach, a thematic approach, and/or a form or genre approach.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The introduction itself read, “A word to the instructor: The texts have been chosen with the idea that they can be compared and contrasted, using common themes.” The text does follow through on this claim, and it complements my plan for an ancient literature course that I am designing. The flow is logical, and the text is organized in a manner that allows professors to assign readings in any way that seems more appropriate for the given course.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is user friendly. The unit introductions generally include engaging images and photographs. They enliven the screen, which is especially helpful as this book is quite sizeable. (Some free online sources do not seem to include many or any images, so the inclusion here is a visual treat for the professor and could help to improve the readability for students who might other wise experience some screen fatigue.) Using the command-F or the control-F short cut, depending on your computer type, is a helpful tool for navigating large texts such as these.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The grammar use, overall, is both strong and graceful. The text’s tone is sometimes conversational; however, since some students might consider these works daunting, the conversational tone, combined with the occasional vivid images, might put such students at greater ease.

The text seems to navigate aspects of cultural difference with much ease. –Given the nature of this book’s content, that is important. In fact, some of the introductory notes provide suggestions for assignments and activities that will help students to consider cultural and historical differences, in an objective manner, while studying these texts. However, placing the two versions of the Bible before Gilgamesh could appear as a hierarchical decision to some readers who might date Gilgamesh earlier and thus place it earlier in the anthology.

The appendices include very helpful links to the original texts. I found the text helpful and plan include it in an undergraduate ancient literature course that I will be teaching in a few months. Overall, the text provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking anthology of many of the world's greatest texts.

Reviewed by Aimee Barrios, Instructor, Southeastern Louisiana University on 6/20/17

The text covers an impressive range of materials, but the omission of Middle Eastern and African literature, especially The Arabian Nights, is glaring. The index is effective, but the commentary and annotation are weak. More textual support... read more

The text covers an impressive range of materials, but the omission of Middle Eastern and African literature, especially The Arabian Nights, is glaring. The index is effective, but the commentary and annotation are weak. More textual support (guided discussion questions, etc.) would be helpful.

No errors in content were noted, and the text seems unbiased.

The content is very relevant. The author did a good job of choosing texts that are seminal and clearly influential. The thematic overview is also helpful.

The writing level is actually quite accessible which is helpful for non-majors who might be required to take a World Lit course. More context would be useful.

The text seems consistent in terminology, framework and formatting

Modularity rating: 4

The divisions in the text work well, but the excerpts are too long. For example, including two versions of the bible without annotation is not very useful. Breaking up long sections of text with comprehension questions would be helpful to reluctant readers.

The ordering was a little confusing at parts. For example, the Hebrew text is presented before Gilgamesh which is confusing since Gilgamesh predates it by so many years. Annotation between selections to transition and draw comparisons would be useful.

The text was easy to navigate; the visuals were helpful and easy to enlarge on a screen. I found it frustrating to navigate within long selections, however. A sidebar with hyperlinks would help a lot. Also, is it possible to embed video ciips in the text to break up the reading and reenforce comprehension?

There were no obvious grammatical errors in this text.

There were no selections by women writers and no African texts. A pre-colonial text, like the Epic of Son Sara, would provide a good perspective.

Reviewed by Albrecht Classen, Univ. Distinguished Prof., University of Arizona on 2/8/17

The scope of this textbook is huge, trying to cover the early history of literature in Europe, the Middle East, India, Japan, and China, extending from the ancient period to the end of the fifteenth century. The authors have made a selection that... read more

The scope of this textbook is huge, trying to cover the early history of literature in Europe, the Middle East, India, Japan, and China, extending from the ancient period to the end of the fifteenth century. The authors have made a selection that presents, indeed, some of the most important texts composed in those areas and periods. So we find the Old Testament, the epic of Gilgamesh, The Tale of Genji, and others. No one can be an expert and we constantly face huge challenges when we cross cultural borders. This textbook takes students to many different worlds, and at the end of the course they will probably be well informed about the truly major texts produced then and there. I wonder, however, whether those huge reading sections are the best in conveying to students the complexity and richness of the material. While scrolling through the book, I got rather irritated about the vastness of the material, considering that so many cultures and periods need to be considered. Does it make sense to ask students to read such long sections? I am afraid that they will not do that anyway, esp. not with an online textbook. We can applaud the authors to be so ambitious, but it would have been much more useful if there had been small pieces along with a thorough group of guiding questions. There are brief introductions, but they often do not say very much. Wherever I felt more like an expert, I was rather disappointed about the low quality of those remarks. But altogether, the selection is pretty comprehensive in what the editors intend. But many other texts could have been utilized, especially those written by women, which are not presented here. A discussion about this would have been helpful.

Since the intros. are fairly short and general, there is not much to be worried about. The students get basic facts, but mostly they are left wondering what the texts might be about and why they are supposed to read them. There are virtually no efforts to didacticize them.

The entire concept of world literature is a good one, but it comes with a lot of problems because the essential idea is to compare those texts with each other. But the cultural and historical background is so vastly different. I am afraid that students will get bored very quickly, esp. because they will not be able to recognize the significance of the texts. They are all certainly relevant, but how would the beginner know this? Basically, it might be much cheaper and easier to ask students to purchase individual textbooks or to read the texts online in other databases.

Overall, well done, very clear structure, clear introductions. However, it is very difficult to scroll through this book, there are no hyperlinks, one cannot jump from one text to the other, apart from doing a global search. Using this book on my laptop was very difficult and uncomfortable; easier on the PC. The authors write in a very clear, accessible English.

This is the kind of textbook that were produced over the last decades, and the intros. and other accompanying texts are clear and understandable. There is no particular jargon, so this is good for freshmen students.

Modularity rating: 2

Not at all; there are huge junks of text, and one cannot easily work through the sections to move on.

The structure is well done, geographical and chronological order are good.

Interface rating: 1

The interface is practically not existent. Why is this even an online book? Nothing of the powers of the hyperlink system is utilized. The images and maps are nice, but I feel frustrated that the image on the cover, the Ebstorf World Map, is not even identified. This goes back to the same issues; this is a textbook with no pedagogical strategies and hardly any didacticizing efforts, apart from a few very general questions.

I did not observe any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

The issue of cultural relevance is hardly mentioned, and the readers will not easily understand why this text selection has been made. The instructor will have to work very hard on his/her own to utilize those texts in the classroom and to build connections between the Western and the Eastern sections.

Table of Contents

Middle East, Near East, Greece

• Hebrew Bible, “Genesis” and “Exodus”
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• The Iliad and The Odyssey
• Oedipus the king
• The Apology of Socrates
• The Analects
• The Art of War
• The Book of Songs
• The Mother of Mencius
• The Zhuangzi
• The Bhagavad Gita
• The Mahabharata
• The Ramayana
• Metamorphoses

Bibliography Appendix

Ancillary Material

• Ancillary materials are available by contacting the author or publisher .

About the Book

This peer-reviewed World Literature I anthology includes introductory text and images before each series of readings. Sections of the text are divided bytimeperiod in three parts: the Ancient World, Middle Ages, and Renaissance, and then divided into chapters by location.

About the Contributors

Laura Getty is an English professor at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, GA. 

Kyounghye Kwon is an assistant professor in the English department at the University of North Georgia. She received her doctoral degree in English and her certificate in Theatre and Performance from The Ohio State University. Her teaching and research areas include world literature, postcolonial studies, Asian/Asian American studies, gender studies, and performance studies. Her current research focuses on how Korean traditional puppet theatre preserves, alters, and adapts Korea's pre-colonial/indigenous memory in its performance repertoires for contemporary audiences, with particular attention to indigenous memory, gender, and the changing nature of the audience. She is co-editor of Compact Anthology of World Literature (UNGP, 2015), an open access textbook funded by a Complete College Georgia Grant. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Asian Theatre Journal, Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Theatre Survey, Theatre Journal, Pinter Et Cetera, and Text & Presentation.

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Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Need to select a research topic or find background information?  

The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more.   Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information.  

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Anthology in Jewish Literature

Electronic Resource

Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature

The Cosmic Time of Empire: Modern Britain and World Literature

Dictionary of Writers and Their Works

Edinburgh Companion to Twentieth-Century Scottish Literature

Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003

French Literature

Handbook of twentieth-century literatures of india.

Introduction to Nineteenth-Century French Literature

Magill's Survey of World Literature

Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, 3rd Edition

Oxford Companion to English Literature

Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms

Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature

Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature

Postcolonial Imaginations and Moral Representations in African Literature and Culture

World Literature, World Culture

Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life.

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World Literature Research Paper Topics

World literature research paper topics are essential for students and scholars to understand the breadth and depth of the literary world across different cultures and time periods. This area of study encompasses a wide range of topics, from ancient literature to contemporary works, reflecting the interconnectedness of human experiences across the globe. Understanding world literature not only provides insights into the cultural and societal contexts of various regions, but it also reveals the common themes and motifs that unite us as humans. By exploring these topics, researchers contribute to a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the world’s literary heritage.

100 World Literature Research Paper Topics

Exploring the vast array of world literature research paper topics is pivotal for students and scholars to gain a comprehensive understanding of the diverse cultural, social, and philosophical narratives that have shaped the world. World literature serves as a reflection of the experiences, struggles, and aspirations of people from various civilizations to modern societies.

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Get 10% off with 24start discount code, ancient literature.

• The evolution of epic poetry in different ancient civilizations
• Depictions of deities in ancient literature
• The impact of ancient Egyptian literature on subsequent cultures
• Themes of love and loss in ancient Greek texts
• The significance of tragedy in ancient Roman literature
• Portrayals of heroes and heroines in ancient literary works
• Representations of war and peace in ancient literature
• The role of mythology in shaping ancient literature
• The depiction of women in ancient literary texts
• The development of narrative forms in ancient literature

Medieval Literature

• The significance of chivalry in medieval literature
• The impact of Christianity on medieval texts
• Representations of monarchs in medieval literature
• Themes of honor and betrayal in medieval works
• Depictions of the supernatural in medieval literature
• The role of allegory in medieval texts
• The influence of troubadours and minstrels on medieval literature
• Portrayals of love and courtship in medieval works
• The significance of pilgrimage in medieval literature
• The impact of Arthurian legends on medieval literature

Renaissance Literature

• The influence of humanism on Renaissance literature
• Depictions of nature in Renaissance poetry
• The role of women in Renaissance literature
• Themes of love and beauty in Renaissance works
• The impact of the Reformation on Renaissance literature
• The development of drama during the Renaissance
• Representations of politics and power in Renaissance literature
• The significance of pastoral literature during the Renaissance
• The role of classical antiquity in shaping Renaissance literature
• The influence of Italian Renaissance literature on other European literatures

Enlightenment Literature

• The role of reason and rationality in Enlightenment literature
• Depictions of society and social norms in Enlightenment works
• The impact of the scientific revolution on Enlightenment literature
• Themes of freedom and liberty in Enlightenment literature
• The role of satire in Enlightenment literature
• Representations of monarchy and authority in Enlightenment works
• The influence of the Enlightenment on the development of the novel
• The significance of travel literature during the Enlightenment
• The impact of the Enlightenment on women writers
• The role of the Enlightenment in shaping modern philosophy

Romantic Literature

• The role of nature in Romantic literature
• Depictions of the individual in Romantic literature
• The influence of the French Revolution on Romantic literature
• Themes of love and passion in Romantic works
• The role of the supernatural in Romantic literature
• Representations of history and the past in Romantic literature
• The influence of Romanticism on music and art
• The significance of Gothic literature during the Romantic period
• The impact of Romanticism on nationalist movements
• The role of Romanticism in the development of modern poetry

19th-Century Literature

• The impact of industrialization on 19th-century literature
• Depictions of society and social change in 19th-century works
• The role of realism in 19th-century literature
• Themes of alienation and isolation in 19th-century literature
• The significance of the Bildungsroman in 19th-century literature
• Representations of women and gender in 19th-century literature
• The influence of 19th-century literature on the development of the modern novel
• The role of colonialism and imperialism in 19th-century literature
• The impact of 19th-century literature on the development of modern psychology
• The significance of 19th-century literature in shaping modern political thought

20th-Century Literature

• The impact of world wars on 20th-century literature
• Depictions of modernity and urban life in 20th-century works
• The role of existentialism in 20th-century literature
• Themes of disillusionment and despair in 20th-century literature
• The significance of modernism in 20th-century literature
• Representations of race and ethnicity in 20th-century literature
• The influence of postcolonial literature in the 20th century
• The role of postmodernism in 20th-century literature
• The impact of the digital age on 20th-century literature
• The significance of feminist literature in the 20th century

Contemporary Literature

• The impact of globalization on contemporary literature
• Depictions of multiculturalism and diversity in contemporary works
• The role of technology in contemporary literature
• Themes of identity and belonging in contemporary literature
• The significance of posthumanism in contemporary literature
• Representations of migration and displacement in contemporary literature
• The influence of contemporary literature on popular culture
• The role of fantasy and science fiction in contemporary literature
• The impact of social media on contemporary literature
• The significance of environmentalism in contemporary literature

Comparative Literature

• The influence of one literary tradition on another
• Comparative analysis of themes across different literary traditions
• The role of translation in the spread of world literature
• Comparative analysis of literary forms across different cultures
• The significance of intertextuality in comparative literature
• Comparative analysis of representations of gender in different literatures
• The influence of religion on literature across different cultures
• Comparative analysis of the role of mythology in different literatures
• The impact of colonialism on literature across different regions
• Comparative analysis of the role of history in different literatures

Literary Theory

• The influence of postcolonial theory on the interpretation of world literature
• The role of feminist theory in shaping contemporary world literature
• The impact of psychoanalytic theory on the interpretation of world literature
• The significance of structuralism and poststructuralism in world literature
• The role of deconstruction in the analysis of world literature
• The influence of reader-response theory on the interpretation of world literature
• The impact of intertextuality on the understanding of world literature
• The role of queer theory in the analysis of world literature
• The influence of eco-criticism on the interpretation of world literature
• The significance of cultural studies in shaping the understanding of world literature

Delving into world literature research paper topics is a crucial academic exercise and a journey into the collective human experiences across time and space. Analyzing the different aspects of world literature, from ancient to contemporary texts, provides a deeper understanding of the cultures, societies, and philosophies that have shaped our world. It also allows us to reflect on the common themes and motifs that connect us as humans, despite our diverse backgrounds. Therefore, researching world literature is a vital step towards fostering global understanding and empathy.

World Literature

And the range of research paper topics it offers.

World literature is an expansive term that encompasses the totality of literary works, both ancient and contemporary, from different regions, cultures, and languages around the globe. It includes not only the canonical texts of the Western tradition but also the often overlooked or marginalized works from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The study of world literature allows for a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the human experience, as it examines the various ways in which different cultures have engaged with similar themes, narratives, and literary forms. This richness and diversity of world literature make it a fertile ground for a wide range of research paper topics.

The study of world literature research paper topics involves the analysis of various epochs of literature. From ancient civilizations, where literature was often orally transmitted or written on clay tablets and papyrus scrolls, to the medieval period, characterized by the production of manuscripts and the emergence of vernacular languages, and then to the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Romantic periods, which saw the development of the printing press and the rise of the novel, drama, and poetry. Each epoch presents its unique set of literary works, themes, styles, and authors that have contributed to the development of world literature.

Furthermore, world literature involves the exchange of themes and styles across cultures. A theme common in one culture’s literature can often be found, with variations, in another culture’s literature. For example, the theme of love, which is prevalent in Western literature, can also be found in Persian, Chinese, and African literatures, albeit with different nuances and interpretations. Similarly, the style of magical realism, which is often associated with Latin American literature, can be found in works from other regions, such as Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children or Yann Martel’s Life of Pi . This exchange of themes and styles not only enriches world literature but also provides a plethora of research paper topics that can be explored.

Translations and adaptations also play a crucial role in world literature. They make literary works accessible to a global audience and facilitate the exchange of ideas, themes, and narratives across cultures. However, translation is not a straightforward process. It involves not only the conversion of words from one language to another but also the adaptation of cultural references, idioms, and nuances. This often leads to debates about the fidelity and authenticity of translations, as well as discussions about the role of the translator as a mediator between cultures. Moreover, adaptations, whether they are film, theater, or other literary works, often involve a re-interpretation or re-imagination of the original text, which can lead to new meanings, themes, or perspectives. These issues make translations and adaptations a rich area for research paper topics in world literature.

In conclusion, the study of world literature offers a diverse range of research paper topics that can be explored by students and scholars alike. From the analysis of various epochs of literature to the exchange of themes and styles across cultures, and the role of translations and adaptations, world literature is a vast and rich field of study that provides a deeper understanding of the global literary landscape. Furthermore, delving into world literature research paper topics is not only an academic exercise but also a journey into the collective human experiences that have shaped, and continue to shape, our world.

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World Literature

The following web resources have been compiled by a librarian and may be useful in your research but don't forget to always evaluate any websites you use!

• Australian Literature This link opens in a new window
• Chinese Text Project This link opens in a new window
• The Icelandic Saga Database This link opens in a new window
• Japanese Text Initiative This link opens in a new window
• Latin American Network Information Center: Literature This link opens in a new window
• Project Runeberg This link opens in a new window
• The Skaldic Project This link opens in a new window
• Words Without Borders: The Online Magazine for International Literature This link opens in a new window
• World Literature Today This link opens in a new window

Find More with a Google Search

It's true that you can find some high-quality, trustworthy websites to use in your research. If you're going to use websites, make sure to evaluate your sources thoroughly. Check out our Google Like a Librarian guide for search tips or Ask a Librarian ( [email protected] ) if you need more help.

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• A Research Guide
• Literary Movements

What is World Literature

What is world literature, other necessary literary terms you must know, the norton anthology of world literature, the iliad literary analysis.

Useful information: Lolita book summary and analysis.

How to Write World Literature  – Basic Tips Where to Start

• Assign yourself a topic: world literature is bulky and in order to simplify your task, you need a specific topic. Ascertain your topic and comprehend the task(s) before you. It is after you have ascertained and understood your assigned topic that you can move to the next phase.
• Get resourceful materials that are related to the topic and Analyze: while writing world literature, you will need to explore many materials, their structure and concept. After getting your facts right; try relating it to your aim and stances.
• Whatever your topic is, analyze the history of your subjects: give your work a historical basis by citing historical stances and relating your stances with political, cultural, or social references.
• Make reasonable Comparison in your paper: in order to bring out differences between two or more concepts or subject, you will have to compare and contrast them—so as to bring a very logical conclusion. Comparing helps to draw valid conclusions about global views, ethics, rhetorical goals or literary techniques.

Read also: Research paper on Their Eyes Were Watching God .

Below are the two types of comparison papers:

• Writing on Translation: the aim of writing on translation is to compare various translations of the same work. Thereby, allowing you to evaluate the translator’s view on specific aspects of the texts. Also, it exposes the ways individual perspective influence the judgment of a text.
• Writing on Adaptation: the main goal of such comparison is to put two literary works—in which one is a creative response to the other. Ore example The Lion King, made by Disney is an adaptation of Hamlet, the original work of Shakespeare. Writing on adaptation fully aims at bringing up a valid argument on the possible similarities and differences between the authentic work and the adaptation.

Read also: Literary analysis of Gone With The Wind .

Use correct citations:

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English & World Literature Subject Research Guide: Home

• Online Databases/Articles
• Selected Websites
• Print Books
• Print Periodicals
• English & World Literature Programs at Saint Leo University
• Careers and Jobs in English & World Literature

English & World Literature

Welcome to the English & World Literature Subject Research Guide! This guide is designed to introduce you to the resources available to you through Saint Leo University, as well as on conducting external research in the Literature subject. The pages available in the left navigation pane will help you locate resources such as relevant databases, eBooks, websites, and print material that can help you conduct research, and complete projects fast. If you need further assistance, the librarians are here to help! Use the information located in the Library Contact Information area to get in touch with us!

How do I cite my resources?

Click on the provided links for help with APA, MLA, or Chicago citation styles:  

• Zotero This link opens in a new window An easy to use automatic bibliography and citation maker. more... less... Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh") is a program that collects, manages, and cites research sources. It's easy to use, lives in your web browser where you do your work, and best of all it's free.
• OWL (Purdue Online Writing Lab) Provides in-depth information on APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

What is a Subject Research Guide?

Subject Resource Guides contain key resources in your subject area and are designed to assist you in getting started with your research:

• Read  the descriptions in the "What Types Of Resources Are Available?" area  to find out what types of resources are included in the English & World Literature Subject Research Guide.
• Click  on the pages available in the left navigation pane to see a listing of the specific resources in English & World Literature. Resources are broken down by type.

What types of resources are available?

Online Databases and Indexes to Journals:

Contain abstracts and full text for articles from peer reviewed journals, non-peer reviewed journals, magazines and newspapers.

Electronic Resources:

Includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, manuals, etc. that are searchable and readable online.

Selected Websites:

These websites have been recommended by Saint Leo faculty and librarians.

Print Resources:

Includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, manuals, handbooks, almanacs, atlases, directories, etc.   (Located in the Cannon Memorial Library/University Campus)

Print Periodicals:

A listing of print (hard copy) periodicals and journals that the library subscribes to.   (Located in the Cannon Memorial Library/University Campus)

Library Contact Information

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• Last Updated: May 15, 2024 3:51 PM
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Literature Topics and Research

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What kinds of topics are good ones?

The best topics are ones that originate out of your own reading of a work of literature, but here are some common approaches to consider:

• A discussion of a work's characters: are they realistic, symbolic, historically-based?
• A comparison/contrast of the choices different authors or characters make in a work
• A reading of a work based on an outside philosophical perspective (Ex. how would a Freudian read Hamlet ?)
• A study of the sources or historical events that occasioned a particular work (Ex. comparing G.B. Shaw's Pygmalion with the original Greek myth of Pygmalion)
• An analysis of a specific image occurring in several works (Ex. the use of moon imagery in certain plays, poems, novels)
• A "deconstruction" of a particular work (Ex. unfolding an underlying racist worldview in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness )
• A reading from a political perspective (Ex. how would a Marxist read William Blake's "London"?)
• A study of the social, political, or economic context in which a work was written — how does the context influence the work?

How do I start research?

Once you have decided on an interesting topic and work (or works), the best place to start is probably the Internet. Here you can usually find basic biographical data on authors, brief summaries of works, possibly some rudimentary analyses, and even bibliographies of sources related to your topic.

The Internet, however, rarely offers serious direct scholarship; you will have to use sources found in the library, sources like journal articles and scholarly books, to get information that you can use to build your own scholarship-your literary paper. Consult the library's on-line catalog and the MLA Periodical Index. Avoid citing dictionary or encyclopedic sources in your final paper.

How do I use the information I find?

The secondary sources you find are only to be used as an aid. Your thoughts should make up most of the essay. As you develop your thesis, you will bring in the ideas of the scholars to back up what you have already said.

For example, say you are arguing that Huck Finn is a Christ figure ; that's your basic thesis. You give evidence from the novel that allows this reading, and then, at the right place, you might say the following, a paraphrase:

According to Susan Thomas, Huck sacrifices himself because he wants to set Jim free (129).

If the scholar states an important idea in a memorable way, use a direct quote.

"Huck's altruism and feelings of compassion for Jim force him to surrender to the danger" (Thomas 129).

Either way, you will then link that idea to your thesis.

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From habitat protection and anti-cruelty laws to discourse about hunting and veganism, animals seem to get a lot of consideration in 21st-century Western culture.

Yet we actually understand many animals far less than our ancestors did, argues Mackenzie Cooley , a doctoral candidate in history who studies how living creatures were collected, designed, bred and trained in Renaissance-era Europe.

Having pets as our only reference to the animal kingdom “sentimentalizes our view of animals and thus impedes our appreciation and stewardship of the natural world,” Cooley argues.

Unlike past eras of European history, including the early modern period Cooley studies, contemporary Western societies afford most people little exposure to animals, except as pets. Cooley’s research explores how the changing ways in which people have viewed animals – from wild to domesticated – “offer vital lessons for mindful interaction with the natural world on both a personal and a public level.”

“We need to stop thinking of nature through the lens of our dog or cat,” an animal “bred to be sympathetic to us,” Cooley observes.

While Cooley says modern animal stewardship efforts may not restore a perfect state of nature, a more active understanding about the “history behind the way we consume, interact with and imagine animals can help us think carefully about future choices.”

As Cooley found by tracing manuscript correspondence and printed treatises in Italian, Spanish, French and Latin from the 16th century, “animals have provided people with ways of imagining their own place in the world, as well as the resources to make the world their own.”

As the curator of the “Beasts & Books” exhibit at Stanford’s Cecil H. Green Library, Cooley aims to reveal the wonder and diversity of our historical relationship to animals via rare books and manuscripts from Stanford collections. The exhibit is on view from April 6 to August 22 in the library’s Peterson Gallery and Munger Rotunda.

“‘Beasts & Books’ expands viewers’ horizons by retracing Western culture’s engagement with animals as sources of power, sustenance, knowledge and status,” Cooley says.

The exhibition was prepared in collaboration with Stanford undergraduates from Cooley’s fall 2014 class, History 29S/Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 29S: The Animal Other: Humans and Animals in Western History.

Gathered with the help of her students, through books on myth and fable, literature and natural science; on hunting, horsemanship and animal breeding, “Beasts & Books” traces Western culture’s use of animals to explain the world and shape it to human needs.

“How can we understand the needs and logic of those beings outside the pet realm?” Cooley asks. For her and her students, the history of natural history as preserved in books yields an answer.

Mythical animal forces

Cooley and her students examined such issues as vivisection, hunting, animal rights and the foundational role animal husbandry played in the development of natural science. Students published their investigations in the “Beasts & Books” accompanying catalogue, produced with a grant from Stanford’s Program in History and Philosophy of Science .

Albrecht Dürer’s fantastical and iconic woodcut of a rhinoceros, from Conrad Gesner’s Historiae Animalium. (Image credit: Stanford Libraries’ Special Collections)

For centuries, books were themselves animal products, evidence, Cooley notes, of humanity’s utter dependence on animals. The pages were made of vellum, or processed animal skin; the ink was often derived from tree galls, growths caused by insect infestations; book bindings were of leather.

“People in the early modern era lived in close proximity to animals, and our language preserves relics of that time,” she says. We repeat sayings that Renaissance books repeated from ancient times, that foxes are sly and crows are greedy. Cooley notes that we still may observe that “an elephant never forgets,” despite not having knowledge either of elephants or of the first-century writer Pliny the Elder, who first wrote the aphorism down.

In fact, Pliny coined the term “natural history” for his encyclopedic book of that name, and “Beasts & Books” exhibits two copies from Stanford’s Barchas and Rare Book collections, from 1469 and 1582 respectively.

“In 2007, almost 2,000 years after Pliny wrote that elephants are afraid of mice, MythBusters still felt the need to test the persistent rumor,” notes student collaborator Beatrice Garrard.

The rumor’s persistence, Cooley believes, stems from our continuing desire to have animals as powerful, even mythical, forces in human life.

“Beasts & Books” also finds respect for animals in the literature and practice of hunting through the ages.

Items on exhibit include Pauline Hemingway’s handwritten journal of her African hunting safari with husband Ernest Hemingway, whose writing uses the hunt as metaphor for the human pursuit of greatness.

Ernest Hemingway’s writing on the hunt conveys a respect for animals’ power and danger that is hard to glean from today’s pet culture.

Even if we no longer believe in myth, even if we choose not to hunt, Cooley argues that exploring the powerful ways in which people have related to animals restores depth and nuance to our view of nature.

The animal rights debate

A competitive equestrian through her undergraduate career at Cornell University, Cooley’s own connection to animals drew her to horsemanship in literature, particularly since she sees the activity as a prime example of man manipulating animal.

“Beasts & Books” demonstrates, through Denis Diderot’s 1751 Encyclopédie and other texts, horsemanship’s ties to martial and courtly ritual.

For example, “Beasts & Books” exhibits the 1771 The Art of Horsemanship by English courtier Richard Berenger, who warned of overuse of the bit to hyperextend a horse’s neck in quest of the desired shape. Is such manipulation of equine form a perfection of the animal’s inherent qualities, or an imposition of foreign ones? The debate touches not only on animal rights but on the moral limits of humans’ manipulation of the natural world.

Embedded in the molding of a horse to the human will is a debate between human and animal rights that later writers continued.

Anna Sewell’s 1877 Black Beauty, also on view, is considered a classic children’s story, purportedly the autobiography of a horse. Yet Cooley and undergraduate Josiah Paye note that it, too, is an animal rights endeavor. Sewell wrote it as a manual for groomsmen, to encourage them to treat their equine charges humanely. “It’s an Uncle Tom’s Cabin for horses,” Cooley notes.

Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and antiquary Joseph Ritson also argued for animal rights in their works, on exhibit in “Beasts & Books.” Both vegetarians, they argued that animals can feel and therefore that they should have rights. Shelley’s 1813 essay “A Vindication of Natural Diet,” represented in the exhibit by an 1884 copy, equates consumption of meat with Eve’s eating from the “tree of evil” in Eden. Shelley found the biblical tale of the Fall to be an allegory of the “stress and crime that have flowed from an unnatural diet.”

Ultimately, the texts on exhibit in “Beasts & Books” raise the possibility that animals are fundamentally different than us and thus perhaps beyond human understanding, no matter how advanced our pursuit of knowledge becomes. This, Cooley argues, is in itself an important step in our understanding of “the animal other.”

Media Contacts

Corrie Goldman, Director of Humanities Communication: (650) 724-8156, [email protected]

Three Decades of Dynamic Capability Research (1990–2023): A Visual and Comparative Analysis of Leading Journal Literature

• Published: 22 May 2024

Cite this article

• Shenghua Zheng 1 ,
• Jue Chen 2 &
• HaiJie Chen 1  

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This comprehensive study embarks on a visual journey through three decades of dynamic capability research, scrutinizing the evolution and thematic focal points from both a Chinese and global perspective. By employing bibliometric analysis on 897 publications from leading journals within the Web of Science and CNKI databases from 1990 to 2023, the study unveils the thematic evolution, research hotspots, and divergences in scholarly attention between China and the rest of the world. Our findings highlight an increasing trend in dynamic capability-related research, with a significant rise in publications and citations, especially after the year 2000. Notably, the analysis identifies key research themes such as innovation, competitive advantage, and the resource-based view, with variations in emphasis between the Chinese and global contexts. This research underscores the pivotal role of dynamic capabilities in navigating the complexities of the digital economy, emphasizing the need for firms to continuously adapt and innovate in response to external environmental shifts. Moreover, it points out the importance of incorporating multi-disciplinary approaches and leveraging international insights to deepen the understanding of dynamic capabilities. This study enriches the discourse in the knowledge economy by providing a nuanced understanding of the development and impact of dynamic capabilities on strategic management, innovation, and entrepreneurship, offering invaluable insights for academics, practitioners, and policymakers aiming to foster technological advancement and competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving global economy.

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This article was supported by the China National Social Science Foundation (Research on the mechanism, path, and policy of leading science and technology enterprises in leading the construction of national strategic science and technology forces, 22BGL286).

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Zheng, S., Chen, J. & Chen, H. Three Decades of Dynamic Capability Research (1990–2023): A Visual and Comparative Analysis of Leading Journal Literature. J Knowl Econ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-02011-x

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Received : 15 November 2023

Accepted : 15 April 2024

Published : 22 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-02011-x

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