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Suzanne Dijk, Anke Gilleir, A. Montoya (2008)
Before NEWW(New approaches to European Women’s Writing): Prolegomena to the Launching of an International ProjectTulsa Studies in Women's Literature, 27
Comparative Critical Studies 6, 2, pp. 149â164 DOI: 10.3366/E1744185409000676 © BCLA 2009 Literary histories as a rule serve two purposes at the same time. They supply information on individual works of literature and their authors. And they tell the story of literature throughout the ages, relating how it developed and changed, creating ever new styles and worlds. Recently, however, the ï¬rst function, that of providing information, has all but obscured the second. âNarrative gets shouted down by the encyclopedicâ, James Wood complains in a review of the twelfth volume of the Oxford English Literary History.1 The verbal links which are used in literary histories in order to convey an impression of coherence with regard to succeeding works and authors are revealing in their monotony and superï¬ciality. In volume twelve of the OELH, simple comparative gestures abound: âComparable views shaped the works of other novelists [. . .]â; âSimilar views were developed [. . .]â; âSimilar emphasis appeared [. . .]â.2 One wonders whether students looking for the information thus offered would not be better served by encyclopedias and readersâ companions with their entries arranged for easy reference in alphabetical order. It is my conviction that, while reference books
Comparative Critical Studies – Edinburgh University Press
Published: Jun 1, 2009
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