Alors, la Chinoiserie? The Figure of China in Theorizations of World Literature

Abstract

Chinese writing occupies a privileged position in current academic discussions of world literature.While China as defined within world literature serves as a test case for questions of nativist and universalist values, in the process it finds itself defined as a nation par excellence. Arguing that such definition constitutes a kind of 21st century chinoiserie, I proceed to question the place of China in the literary theories that inform the discussions of world literature, pinpointing part of this chinoiserie on confusion about the role and performance of translation. I then offer a tactical approach to how China and Chinese literature can be re-translated and re-theorized, pointing a way forward from its current confinement within the chinoiserie described.