Goethe's Cosmopolitan Idea of World literature versus Nationalist Thoughts

The idea of global literature is one of the main pillars of Goethe's literaryand artistic life. The formation and development of this concept is the resultof the considerable devotion that he addresses to foreign literature and theneed of reflecting the world literature in his own culture, by theacknowledgment of the capacities and abilities of other cultures. This idea,from a cultural and literary perspective, is in opposition to the extremenationalist insights by its socio-political, and cosmopolitan dimensions. Thisargument, especially today, with the re-emergence of the new nationalism,in many countries around the world, has become more important. Thefollowing article, relying on the idea of Goethe's universal literature,compares his views with nationalist beliefs and concluded that Goetheemphasizes on "opening the gates of national literature to the literature ofother nations, by desiring a mutual influence and inviting the world'sthinkers and authors to participate in intellectual exchange, culturaldialogue and international connection". Goethe’s ideas include some transnational,trans-ethnical, and trans-regional dimensions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Weltliteratur ، Nationalliteratur ، Kultureller Dialog ، Kosmopolitismus ، Nationalismus