World literature as a dimension of Comparative Literature has been in existence as a “Gemeingut der Menschheit” (common property of mankind) since ancient civilization, emerging “überall und zu allen Zeiten in Hunderten und aber Hunderten von Menschen” [“everywhere and in all periods in hundreds and hundreds of people”, Johann Wolfgang Goethe to Johann Peter Eckermann, 31 January 1827]. But the German term

and the heightened awareness of literary exchanges and relations across national borders have their roots in the cosmopolitan aspirations of major literary figures as well as literary critics of the Age of Goethe.

Generally, scholars ascribe three distinct meanings to world literature: first, the quantitative sum of all literature regardless of literary

2137 words

Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "Weltliteratur [World Literature]". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 June 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5529, accessed 23 November 2024.]

• View recommended reading for this article