Δε διατίθεται περίληψη
(EL)
What does Comparative Literature mean for Greek scholars today? My aim is to revisit a rather old field, which, among the multiplicity of the 20ths c. methodological approaches, has rediscovered new keys to reading texts across cultures, to creating bridges between continents, between the East and the West and, finally, to interpreting various aspects of cultural memory and national/- cultural identity. At first, I tried to retrace the steps of C.L. in Greece and its official impact by the "generation of '30s", especially in the work of some eminent scholars such as Emm. Kriaras and C.Th. Dimaras, who absorbed the decisive influence of the French school (Jean-Marie Carré, Paul Van Tieghem, etc.). In the late '70s, a new generation introduced some new tools of critical analysis (structuralism, poetic); however, this strategic innovation was limited. In the early '80s, a third "wave" of young scholars used some important concepts such as "intertextuality" and "aesthetic of reception". Secondly, I tried to register the actual academic status of C.L. in Greece; how many chairs of Comparative Literature, General and Comparative Literature and Theory of Literature exist in Greek Universities? In which Universities and more specifically in which Departments are they localised? The answer is in general they are situated in the Departments of Modern Greek Studies or in the Departments of Foreign Studies but also, in some recent cases, in the Departments of Foreign Civilisations, Theatre Studies and Translation Studies. Thirdly, I tried to offer a panoramic view of the major comparative works that have been completed in the last fifty years. Among the great movements and periods of interest of several of comparative studies were the following: the Cretan Renaissance, Baroque, the Enlightenment and Romanticism as well as the 20th c. The classical type of comparison between "X and Y" is largely used and for an easily comprehensive reason the majority of studies and activities was focused on examining the influence exercised by European culture on Modern Hellenism and vice versa. Today, scholars have started to open up new areas, rather neglected in the past such as the formation of the Modern Greek narrative tradition (novel), the influence exerted by Eastern cultures (Arabian and Turkish), the dramatic and poetic genres, autobiography, the impact of aesthetic theories, literature and theatre for children, the social and cultural role of mass-media, gender and women studies. Even in the well-known, classical subject "the fortune of author X in area (country) Y" we had some good specimens of new methodological approaches. Finally, a very strong interest (research teams and current research projects) was now generated in cross-cultural contacts and in the importance assumed by translation studies. My presentation is completed by a summary of the activities of the "Greek General and Comparative Literature Association" during the past decade.
(EN)
