The French School:
The French school sets conditions on both the studied literary texts on the one hand as well as on the relationship of influence between them on the other hand. It is also obsessed with terminology and makes distinction between influence, reception, borrowing and imitation. Comparatists of the French School also distinguish between direct / indirect influence, literary / non-literary influence, positive / negative influence.
Because it obsessed itself with the link of causality, more investigations were made outside the texts instead of dealing with the texts themselves. The discipline lost its track and failed to meet the purposes it has set for itself at the beginning mainly when it comes to defeating nationalism. Instead of eliminating it, it has accentuated it.
The fields of study of comparative literature according to the French school:
1/ Literary Schools and Genres
2/ Ideological Echoes
3/ Image Echoes
4/ Verbal Echoes
5/ Human Models and Heroes
The American School:
The American school came as a reaction against the French school.
It's main aim was to depoliticize comparative literature by going beyond the political borders of literary texts.
It is mainly based on universalism and interdisciplinarity.
It is has mainly two fields of study:
Parallelism:
• It does not give importance to the link of causality.
• It gives no importance to influence. There is a possibility of dealing with literary texts not being in contact of whatsoever kind but having similar contexts or realities.
• If influence exists between literary texts, the importance does not lie in the influence itself but rather in the context. If the context does not allow for influence to be effective, influence will never take place in the first place.
Intertextuality:
It is the reference of a given text to another text.
New texts are superposed on old texts.
New texts (Hypertexts) are always read under the light of old texts (Hypotexts).
Literature is a continuous and an ongoing process of reworking and refashioning old text.
Old texts turn into some sort of raw materials used for the creation of new ones.
Great, its informative.
ReplyDeleteIt is really very very useful brief about the tow main schools of the comp. literature. I wish to get more details about the russian school and an explanation about the term: The universal literature.
ReplyDeleteCan you post something on the German school, please? I am looking for resources on the German school in comparative literature but I have not been able to find any.
ReplyDeleteIt is very informative material.
ReplyDeleteIt's very useful
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting ,but I wish to know more about The German school of comparative literature .
ReplyDeleteGood
ReplyDeleteIt's really very helpful for studence examinations ,good ....
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Thanks you.
ReplyDeletewould you please provide further reading?
ReplyDeleteWooW .. very helpful , thank you
ReplyDeleteVery useful and easy to understand the main difference between the two schools
ReplyDeleteIt is very useful
ReplyDeleteThnaks so helpful
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Russian school
ReplyDeleteSuper information thank u
ReplyDeletePlease post Russian school
ReplyDeleteWell defined, but there must be some key terms use in order resolve the difference between these both schools of.omparison
ReplyDeletethere r 3 schools :/
ReplyDelete