Acasă Articole RTR Copyright and the Emergence of Comparative Literature: Between Hugo Meltzl and Victor...
Copyright and the Emergence of Comparative Literature: Between Hugo Meltzl and Victor Hugo
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Abstract: This article explores the intricate relationship between the pre-institutional phase of comparative literature and the ongoing international debate about copyright in late of nineteenth century. It examines how comparative literature as a discipline in the making has navigated the complexities of copyright and how the evolving institution of copyright has, in turn, influenced the development of literary comparatism. Specifically, the article frames the contrasting views of Hugo Meltzl and Victor Hugo regarding the evolution of comparative literature and literary protectionism, focusing on the positions expressed at the 1878 Parisian Congress. Meltzl denounces the commodification of literature in a capitalist society, particularly through literary fairs and book exhibitions, and advocates for a return to a more classical, anti-materialist approach. In turn, Hugo’s perspective reflects the authoritarian, Gallo-centric viewpoint Meltzl criticized. Despite their differences, both thinkers share a commitment to the concept of literary genius. Finally, the establishment of universal copyright serves as an uncomfortable and even threatening indicator of the fundamental principles and missions that comparative literature, as an evolving discipline, has confronted.
Keywords: international copyright, comparative literature, World Literature, Acta Comparationis Litterarum Universarum, Hugo Meltzl, Victor Hugo, International Literary Congress, Paris, literary protectionism.
Acknowledgement: This work was funded by the EU’s NextGenerationEU instrument through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of Romania—Pillar III-C9-18, through the project A Global History of Romanian Comparatism: A Case Study in Inter-Imperial Comparative Literature (1877-1944), PNRR-III-C9-2023-I8-CF 22/ 27.07.2023, contract no. 760276/ 26.03.2024.
The author wishes to thank Erika Mihalycsa for the revision of the texts translated from Hungarian to English.
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