Literature for Europe?

The Transnational Trajectories of Dutch Literature as a Minor Literature: A View from World Literature and Translation Studies

“…2 Our focus on Dutch, a minor European language, reflects these recent debates on world literature and builds on recent endeavours to look at Dutch-language literature as world literature. 3 of classic works from Ancient Greek, Roman and West European literary history; (2) one or more canons in the process of becoming established, with recent masterpieces joining established classics 4 ; (3) a broader selection of literary works, which Damrosch describes as 'windows on the world'. 5 Sometimes the phenomenon of world literature is expressly understood in one of these three forms, other times the concept is used to refer to a (partial) amalgamation of these three definitions.…”

Notes Towards a (More) Cosmopolitan History of European Literature

“…Hence, there can be no such thing as “a” European literary history’ (Ref. 3, p. 8). However, the richness and topicality of that volume notwithstanding, if one is to produce any version of European literary history, still other problems arise, some of which are already adumbrated in the concern of avoiding mirroring the notion of Imperial Europe and preserving diversity, but which I think need to be explored further.…”

“…As Theo D'haen notes, ‘the input of the view of the outsider, say the “postcolonial” view, on Europe's literary history is of crucial importance …’ (Ref. 3, p. 8). Perhaps one can even go further: not only is such a perspective important but one should also consider how much of ‘postcolonial’ literature must be seen as a constitutive part of European literature beyond simply reflecting on Europe.…”

“…This would make for equal access to all literatures in all languages of the European Union, and beyond, and hence for an “open” canon of European literature’ (Ref. 3, p. 7). Difficult, but not impossible and not even merely utopian.…”