Erich Auerbach and the Philology of World Literature

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Tsinghua Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

This article seeks to reconsider and reflect on the concept of world literature as developed by Erich Auerbach, one of the foundational figures in the formation of the theory of comparative literature in the West. Auerbach first gained recognition during the 1940s and 1950s as a literary historian and philologist with the publication of his seminal work Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. Yet, it was through his later theoretical writings—particularly by raising fundamental questions about philology and the role and function of literature in the present world—that he established himself as one of the earliest proponents of the comparative method in literary studies. One of his most influential essays in this regard, “The Philology of World Literature,” employs the method of philology to envision the possibility of moving beyond the discourse of literary criticism—one that has dominated literary studies during the last few decades. For Auerbach, philology is not merely a method but a comprehensive approach to texts aimed at comprehending and conceptualizing the complex network of historical, cultural, and geographical interactions reflected in literary works. By revisiting “The Philology of World Literature,” this article aims first to explore and redefine two central concepts in Auerbach’s thought—philology and world—and then to open a space for reconsidering a distinct and alternative conception of world literature.

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Main Subjects

Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities
Volume 5, Issue 2 - Serial Number 10
August 2025
Pages 311-346

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 April 2025
  • Revise Date: 10 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 28 August 2025

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