Two Questions about Categories in the Relationship of Chinese Literature to World Literature

Abstract

"The independently-developed tradition of Chinese literature points to the necessity of constantly rethinking world genre boundaries. For example, spoken theatre is not a universal genre, but a specific Western form that has spread through imperialistic and colonial processes. Through its spread it created new genres for traditional forms. Comparative literature needs to grant equal space to diverse traditions and to continue to question in what sense they are both meaningfully ‘theatre’ or ‘drama’. Similarly, one cannot unproblematically equate genres of fiction or poetry across languages. Meanwhile, sinophone writing is diverse in its themes and authorship, at ethnic, regional, national and diasporic levels. It is not coterminous with national boundaries. It is itself a world literature. Overseas Chinese literature is another."