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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2789-6919/64/17-25
World Literature: Concept, Evolution, Criteria,
and Critical Perspectives
Nadjat Mous 
Abstract. This study examines the term "world literature," a contested concept in comparative literary studies. It traces the concept's development, identifies the criteria used to classify literary works as world literature, and distinguishes world literature from related terms such as national literature, comparative literature, and the universality of literature. The study also compares Western and Arab critical perspectives, including those of René Étiemble, Paul Van Tieghem, Mohammed Ghenimi Hellal, and Fouad Merai. The findings show that world literature is generally understood as literature that transcends national and linguistic boundaries, is translated and widely received, and retains humanistic, intellectual, and artistic value. However, definitions remain multiple and are shaped by the critic's school of thought, cultural context, and ideological orientation.
Keywords: world literature, universality of literature, comparative literature, national boundaries, transcendence
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