Various Theories——and Variation Theory

Since its beginning in Europe around two hundred years ago,comparative literature has branched out in different approaches,some with a national or regional anchoring,others with a more theoretical foundation.This has been going on until today,also when comparative literature later expanded to other continents,blending with their local traditions and literatures or redefining itself.With the more recent re-emerging interest in world literature,this development has been reinforced,but has also left the question open how to deal with comparative literature,its history as a discipline and the different cultural underpinnings it has received,not least through research institutions and higher education in different cultures.Before one can evaluate particular and often competing theoretical contributions to this development,it will be important to look at the overall requirements a comparative theory and practice should satisfy to be relevant today,taking into account the role of literature in the multicultural and multidimensional contact zones of globalization.On this background the article will try to evaluate various theories and variation theory and their position,necessity and potential in comparative literature today.