Abstract

In 1827 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe coins the term world literature to reference the ideological exchange that takes shape between individuals and their cultures in literature. The article explores Goethe's conception of world literature as it appears in his letters, journal entries, autobiographical writings and noted conversations, while drawing on his reading of Hafez's "Divan" as a significant experiential basis for his ideas on translation and world literature. The article defines world literature as a discipline both in convergence and divergent from the comparative, specifically as a highly subjective field that feeds upon the individual and leads to new creative expression.