In this article, I explore the relationship between the reproduction of hegemonic discourses of national representation in the reception of literature in translation and processes of canonization. I argue that World Literature as a paradigm hinders our efforts of overcoming the burdens of canonization. As a case study, I analyze the implications of building and reproducing a canon of Japanese literature in translation in the United States for the way Japan has been represented in public discourse in the last thirty years. I will focus on the reception of Murakami Haruki as the contemporary representative of the canon of Japanese literature in translation. My goal is to examine how the circumstances of Japanese literature in translation perpetuate mechanisms of canonization in their engagement and legitimation of an ongoing logic of representation that is non-confrontational with agents in power. I aim to test the extent to which studying the reception of East Asian literature in translation can help us promote a broader discussion on the appropriateness of such frameworks in our understanding of the contemporary literary phenomenon.
Drawing on literary paratexts such as prologues, reviews and letters, this study seeks answers to the question of Meissner’s role in the German-language canon, or rather why his literary legacy has endured for so long. First, Meissner’s personal contacts in the world of literature from a social-historical perspective is considered. This reveals that the repeated criticism of Meissner’s texts, which despite their popularity were to a large extent at odds with the taste of the time, cast him in a bad light. Selected relevant texts will be placed in their discursive context and Meissner’s writings within the parameters of 18th century literary practice examined., Sarah Seidel., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy