Written and Unwritten Literary Geographies: Doing World Literature from the Perspective of Oral Texts

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Abstract

World literature as the new discipline of global literary and comparative studies has been focusing almost exclusively on written literatures, and specifically on the novel. Orature plays a determinant role in literary expression around the world, yet unwritten verbal arts have been explicitly excluded from definitions of world literature. This introduction discusses key terms like orature, oral literatures and oral traditions, and outlines how a focus on oral texts and performances enriches our understanding of literature, and of world literature.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOral Literary Worlds
Subtitle of host publicationLocation, Transmission and Circulation
EditorsSara Marzagora, Francesca Orsini
PublisherOpen Book Publishers
Pages5-46
Number of pages42
ISBN (Electronic)9781805113133
ISBN (Print) 978-1-80511-311-9, 978-1-80511-312-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Jan 2025

Publication series

NameWorld Oral Literature
PublisherOpen Book Publishers

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