Importance Of Comparative Literature

The Traditional / Conventional approach to the teaching of literature in English leads the study of literature to frozen state. The traditional approaches talk about the past glories, histories and imaginative stories. In order to make the literature study more scientific and realistic, the comparative approach may help the culture cross students and research scholars. Gerald Gilespie claims that comparative literature is a new form of literary criticism employed in all form or trends such as structuralism, deconstruction, semiotics, and psycho- analysis and so on. Again he proclaims that “Comparative analysis” is a two way flow is resulting from already established efforts at building bridges to Non- European traditions. With the above mentioned

Assistant Professor, Department of English, TUCAS-Tirupattur.

Why Comparative Literature The distance between two nations is very small and Universe has became a global village. No man can confine to one nation, to one Language or to one culture. The world is moving fast towards the assimilation in all sense. So the need of the hour in English Literature is Goethe’s eloquent plea for ‘World Literature’. It seems not only appropriate but almost inevitable. One of the important objectives of Comparative Literature is “to liberate man from ignorance and prejudices and to help them retain their freedom through realization of their capacities as human beings” I and also to make the aware of experience of living. The national literature may not fulfil the above thirst of and taste of the literature people. So one can advocate the comparative method of English literature Teaching. The world has become a more mechanical and a smaller place to migration trade, commerce and scientific developments. Likewise the impact of one literature on another became a part of the creative thoughprocess. Thus we realised the immensity of the world

This is what the ancient Indian literature, Geek literature, china literature remained ignorant of literatures in the neighboring lands. The exclusiveness of the ancient began to breakdown with the intention of world literature and comparative literature taken its vital role in development of world Literature.
Salient features of comparative literature According to Felix Vodich and Roman Jacobson (1960) Comparative literature produces texts with a literary intention, which can acceptable and readable where ever in this world. The comparative literature texts may have the literary reception wherever in the word. The distribution of text intended for literary reception including the distribution outside the cultural zone where ever they were produced. Thus Comparative literature helps to expand the literary horizons of the people by relating other literature to our own. It also invokes interest in cultural relative literary value, moral basis and so on. The difference between comparative literature and general literature, according to Paul van Tieghem, the general literature studies movements and fashions of literature which transcend national lines whereas comparative literature studies the interrelationships between two or more