Letteratura comparata e letteratura mondiale. Verso una coesistenza simbiotica*

Abstract

This article claims that Comparative Literature has really never played a pivotal role in the field of literary studies, yet, at the same time, specialized studies of separate national literary traditions have not been able to fill the gaps in the understanding of literary creation as a broader cultural phenomenon influencing – though often “invisibly” – the world-view of entire societies. There is an urgent need to establish a fruitful dialogue between comparatists and scholars specialized in the area of national literatures. Furthermore, scholars from “central” and “peripheral” cultures should establish a steady dialogue in order to provide broader contexts and new insights into their research and keep the canon of world literature open to new and old works and authors.