Taha Hussein and the Case for World Literature

Abstract

Abstract How and why has world literature been promoted as a discipline outside of Western contexts? Expanding the grounds of comparative literature to include non-Western texts also requires emphasizing the work of non-Western theorists as cultural actors. In an effort to widen the conversation on the early theoretical tenets of the field, this article presents the vision of world literature promoted by one of the foremost Egyptian writers of the twentieth century, Taha Hussein, drawing on his writings in English, Arabic, and French. The article examines Hussein's understanding of why literary comparison was important for developing countries beyond postcolonial paradigms, and specifically what the classical tradition of Arabic education might offer the study of modern world literature.