The Influence Of Thomas Higginson On World Literature

1.“Higginson’s desire that World Literature courses impart students those general values, ideas, and structures he finds at the roots of all belles lettres…”(Pizer 88) Many people do not have particular interest in the “Great Books,” or Classics. They either do not find them intriguing or just cannot quite understand them, for it can be difficult to do so. Higginson believed that such great works which derived from numerous cultures and varying perspectives deserved to be considered World Literature; However, today World Literature is devised for novices. Less canonical novels and works are chosen for the courses; courses unique to America initiated in the 1920s. I chose this passage, for canonical works, or as Higginson describes as belles lettres, should be equally represented in a World Literature course as are other works. They should not be removed or overlooked when in fact they may be the most moving and thematically sounding compared to non-canonical works. Unfortunately, the more advanced language used in a work, the more difficult the task of translating it may be. Perhaps it is worth the quasi loss of aesthetic in order to grasp an understanding far above ourselves? Or should we, humankind collectively, neglect the writings from the greats for the sake of the majority’s

“The writer from a marginal culture is in a double bind”(Damrosch 9). Without the influences of great foreign writers, a young writer is unable to attain greatness in the like. He is limited by reading and studying only the literature of his own culture. Thus, his writing becomes the same as those before him. Through world literature, a writer can access predecessors from varying cultures, who implement different styles and ways to express emotion in their works. Translationing has been known to skew or eradicate texts completely; however, a translation can possess the power to strengthen a work. Goethe even preferred a Latin translation of one of his works to the