Literary Emergence as a Case Study of Theory in Comparative Literature

In his paper, "Literary Emergence as a Case Study of Theory in Comparative Literature," César Domínguez constructs an interdisciplinary theoretical model which sheds new light on literary emergence, a phenomenon that defies literary, artistic, and cultural boundaries. Domínguez opens his discussion with a synthesis regarding the state of the question, paying particular attention to the contradictions provoked when an inventory of emerging literatures is attempted and goes on to develop a theoretical framework in which the dynamic processes which define emerging literature are seen relative to world literature. He understands world literature as a mega-system in which emergence finds itself intrinsically linked to the phenomenon of literary change. Thus defined, the smallest systemic units comprising Weltliteratur are identified and the function of the secondary subsystem of codification is analyzed (among these are national literatures), forming the impetus for these emerging literatures, as they define themselves in response to the counter-restrictions, redefinitions, and exclusions imposed upon them. The innovative perspective of Domínguez's paper is the questioning of the currency of "national" literatures within the framework of traditional comparative literature. César Domínguez, "Literary Emergence as a Case Study of Theory in Comparative Literature" page 2 of 15 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 8.2 (2006):