French Literature Reviews - 2026
Y. Chevrel, La Littérature comparée, 6th Edition
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics
Yves Chevrel, La Littérature comparée, Paris, PUF, 6th edition, 2009, 128 pages.
Publisher's Overview
- Comparative literature should be understood as the comparative study of literature, a branch of the humanities and social sciences dedicated to the analysis of literary works. This book provides a well-documented overview of current trends in the discipline and suggests perspectives that contribute to a modern humanism.
Author Biography
- Yves Chevrel is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Paris-Sorbonne University.
- Publisher: Presses Universitaires de France - PUF (May 13, 2009)
- Series: Que sais-je?
- ISBN-13: 978-2130574996
- PRICE: €9
The "Que sais-je?" series, which recently modernized its presentation, has just published (May 2009) the 6th updated edition of La Littérature comparée by Yves Chevrel.
It was in 1951 that Marius-François Guyard published the first "Que sais-je?" under this title: it was number 499 in the series, founded in 1941, and reached its 6th edition in 1978. In 1989, Y. Chevrel took over the title, keeping the same sequence number, 499 (which is still retained today), and wrote a new book reflecting the evolution of the discipline. For the 5th edition in 2006, he almost completely rewrote the text.
The newly released 6th edition introduces several modifications and clarifications to the previous one, taking into account recent scholarship (such as La Recherche en Littérature générale et comparée en France en 2007, published by SFLGC in 2007). Notably, the back cover features a tagline above a brief presentation of the book: "The country of literature?" — which might well serve as a concise definition of the discipline…
Table of Contents:
Introduction – Why Comparative Literature?
Chapter 1 – Questions of Boundaries
I. The Foreign – II. Foreign Literature(s) – III. Universal Literature –
IV. Comparatist Boundaries.
Chapter 2 – Receptions of the Foreign Work
I. Reception Aesthetics – II. History of Receptions – III. Reception, Not Influence? – IV. Perspectives.
Chapter 3 – Literatures and Languages
I. The Work in Its Language – II. The Work in Translation – III. Perspectives.
Chapter 4 – Myths and Literary Forms
I. Dynamics of the Myth – II. The Work of Literature – III. Myth: International or Universal? – IV. Perspectives.
Chapter 5 – Comparative History of Literatures
I. Tools and Achievements – II. Problems – III. Some Perspectives.
Chapter 6 – Towards a Comparative Poetics
I. Poetics or Poetics? – II. Comparative Poetics – III. General Poetics, Comparative Poetics.
Conclusion
Bibliography
Comparative literature functions as a branch of the humanities and social sciences focused on the systematic analysis of literary works. Within the French academic tradition, the discipline has historically navigated the tension between specific national canons and the broader scope of literary study. By investigating how texts circulate, are received in foreign contexts, and interact with myths or linguistic structures, comparatists seek to understand literature as a field of cross-cultural exchange and historical development.
This volume, La Littérature comparée, explores the boundaries of the field, moving from the study of foreign literatures to the complexities of translation and the dynamics of myth. It addresses how reception aesthetics and comparative poetics contribute to an understanding of literary history, reflecting on the evolution of the discipline and recent scholarly developments. Readers interested in the methodological foundations of literary studies or the historical trajectory of the field may find this overview relevant.