Virginia Woolf: A Critical Reading Book

If you've ever wondered what the ivory tower of literature looks like and how it sees itself from the inside, this book is exactly what you need. "The World Republic of Letters" concerns itself with literary fiction, authors who end up in the canon of literature and the consecration of authors by higher critical instances.

This is not to say that Pascale Casanova looks down on popular fiction and/or genres - they simply aren't part of the scope of this book. They aren't even mentioned. (I'm not blaming, I'm explaining)

"The World Republic of Letters" is also an intensely, painfully French book. You can tell, because France is the first country to write in the vernacular (after Italy, which doesn't count), and it's always set the cultural tone, translated intensely, consecrated great authors such as Joyce or Faulkner. When other literary centers appeared, they set out to oppose France. If this book were called: "The World Republic of Letters: How France Has Set the Cultural Tone for the Past Few Centuries", it would be appropriate.

Because Paris is obviously the center of the literary universe, other literary traditions (such as, say, the Japanese and Chinese ones) are deemed to be isolated and not to count much. I'm sure the Japanese would be quite amused to hear that, considering their tradition, which is nothing to sneeze at.

So. I've mentioned what Pascale Casanova's book is not about (popular fiction; fiction not touched by France). Let's discuss what it is about.

When you have a great cultural center acknowledged by everyone as such, says Casanova, it tends to become a sort of Greenwhich meridian. It sets the tempo of culture, it decides what is modern and good, and what is not. Everyone else is turning towards it, to see what has been left behind and what is provincial. Authors in other literary zones can aspire towards it and try to copy it; or they might revolt against it in order to build their own, national literature; or they might come to the center because they are underappreciated in their native lands, and they might become consecrated there.

Not being a part of the center is a sort of tension which needs to be resolved, especially for authors in emerging literary zones - do they betray their people and become 'modern'? Do they try to do the politically right thing and build on the basis of their own literature?

Well, those who decide to become international rather than national meet in cultural centers (such as Paris, never forget Paris) and influence each other there. Their struggles are similar, so why wouldn't their solutions be?

It's an interesting book overall, especially if one is overly concerned with the politics of writing and ending up in the canon. It's somewhat stranger when you're on the outside of the ivory tower, looking in.