Genre

Dominant frames for thinking about world literature usually focus on the novel (and usually the Anglophone novel) as the privileged object of literary analysis. In fact, as many of our contributors note, in many parts of the world the novel is not nearly as ubiquitous or important as studies on World Literature would suggest. Through a more critical engagement with lesser acknowledged mediums and genres, we are able to rethink conceptions of what can be studied as literature.

We offer five alternative prisms through which to consider the role of genre in our conception and perception of World Literature;  ‘Popular and Pulp fiction’ (chapbooks, crime fiction, sci-fiction), Orality (folk songs, radio) Literary Criticism, Poetry, and Literary Journals.