1TheWorldRepublicofLetters

PascaleCasanova
Trans.M.B.DeBevoise
HarvardUniversityPress2004
420pp
ISBN067401345X

Funnythingabouttheuniversal;itsanidealofourownmakingwhoserealitywemust
acknowledge,whoseimpossibilityweconstantlysignbyhedgingtheconceptaboutwith
incessantqualifications.Asgenerationsofcriticsassailedoneoranotherwriterforfailureto
achievetheuniversal,diditnotoccurtosomeamongtheirreadersthatitwasaseverely
attenuatedconceptionoftheuniversalthatwasmarkedsoreadilybytheseoutliers?Inourown
timeofculturewars,atimewhenanynumberofpeoplehavebeenreadytocredittheWest
withtheveryinventionoftheideaoftheuniversal,ithasalwaysseemedabitoddthatthe
universalwasanideawhosetimehadstilltocome,anideathathadnotalreadyoccurredto
everyone.PascaleCasanovawritesthatItisbecausethisideaoftheuniversalwasuniversally
acknowledged(ornearlyso)thatPariscametobeinvestedwiththepowerofconferring
universalrecognition(29).Letsufficientweightfalluponthatphrase,ornearlyso.Ifthere
havebeenthoserecalcitrantreaderswhorefusedtoacknowledgetheideaoftheuniversal,then
evenPariscouldnotachieve,onbehalfofanygivenwork,atrulyuniversalrecognition.
Elsewhere,Casanovaremarksthatliteraturemightbedefinedasaunifiedfield(orafieldinthe
processofbeingunified)(103).Soitwouldseemthatwehavecreatedforourselvesthe
problemofauniversalthatisonlynearlyso,definingafieldthatisunified,orintheprocessof
becomingunified.Foraconceptthathadstartedoutwithsuchgreathope,theunifieduniversal
seemsalwaystoberecedingbeforeus.
Andthusitmustbewithanyworldrepublicofletters;inthesamesensethatthefactthat
somanyofusspeakofglobalizationcannevermeanthatourdefinitionoftheglobalwillitself
beglobal,itisinevitablythecasethatnomatterhowappealingwemayfindtheworldrepublic
ofletters,noteverybodyisarepublican.LikePlatosidealrepublic,Casanovasrepublicof
literatureissomethingthatcanonlyexistin,well,literature.ButatleastCasanovapermitsentry
topoets.AlludingtoHenryJames,CasanovaarguesthatUnderstandingaworkofliterature...
isamatterofchangingthevantagepointfromwhichoneobservesitoflookingatthecarpetasa
whole(3).Nottostrainthemetaphormuchfarther,butitdoesseemthemostcommonofsense
toremarkthateventhefigureinthecarpetviewedfromsufficientdistancetotakeinthewhole
mustappearquitedifferentlytothosestandingindifferentpartsoftheroom,atdifferentheights,
different,perhaps,eventotheownerofthecarpetversusthosewhohavebeentoldnottotrack
theirfeetacrossit.
StillCasanovaisnotsimplyreiteratingtheElioticconceptionoftraditionandthe
individualtalent,withitspeaceablekingdomofconstellatedgreatsawaitingtheentryofnewer
talentsaroundwhichtoreconfigurethemselves.Ifthereissuchathingasaliteraryspace,thenit
isastriatedspace,acontestedspace,aspaceeverybitaspockmarked,rippledandoddlyshaped
asEinsteinsuniverse.Literaryspacecontainsblackholes,regionsofsuchpowerfulgravityof

reputationthatnolightcanescape;vasttracksofemptiness;neighborhoodsofblindinglightand
evenempiresinconflict.AnditisonthatscorethatPascaleCasanova,workingverymuchwith
theconceptualframeworkslaidoutbyPierreBourdieu,hasperhapsthemostusefulinsightsto
offer.Forifthereisoneuniversalonofferinthisbook,itisanintricatemappingofthe
processesbywhichauthors,literarytraditionsandcriticalapparatuscontendwiththepolitical
powersofwhatduoardGlissanttermsvehicularlanguages.Glissanthimself,inhisrelations
toWilliamFaulkner(notablyexpandeduponbyGlissantinhisrecentstudyFaulkner
Mississippi)couldalmostbeacasebookforexaminationoftheissuesaddressedbyCasanova.
ThecoveroftheHarvardUniversityPresstranslationofCasanovasbookdisplaysasolarglobe
transectedbylinesoftypeindifferentlanguages,fixing,asitwere,globallinesofliterary
migrations.OnesetofsuchglobaltransitsisbeautifullylaidoutinCasanovastracingofthe
linesofFaulknerianflight,tracingsthatdemonstrateconvincinglythewaysinwhichwhatwere
oftentakenintheofficialliterarycentersoftheworldonlyasformalisticdevices(336),were
oftenseizeduponinotherpartsoftheworldastoolsofliberation.This,onmyreading,isoneof
themostcrucialinsightsinthebook,foritmakesthecasethatthosecriticswhoforsolonghave
opposedliteraryinnovationtopoliticalliberationwerequitesimplyaskingthewrongquestions.
If,asCasanovaargues,noliteraryproject,eventhemostformalistic,canbeexplainedina
monadicfashion(320),thenthereshouldbelittletosurpriseusinthefact,longdocumented,
thatgenerationsofCaribbeanandAfricanwritersfoundliberatoryspacesinthepagesof
ShakespearesTempest,orintheunderstandingthatanovelistasracistasFaulknercouldbe,
couldatthesametimeaffordradicallyliberatoryopportunitiestoauthorsworkingtheirway
towardabravernewworld,witnessGarcaMrquez,orGlissanthimself.
Alongthemanyroutesthesediscussionsfollowaretobefoundanynumberofstartling
propositions.PerhapsthemoststartlingcomesinthediscussionofKafka,whichtakesan
obliquecoursefromtheitinerarysetoutsomeyearsagobyDeluezeandGuattariintheirwork
onminorliteraturesandlanguages.InCasanovasreading,Kafkasworkcanbeamazingly
understoodasentirelytranslatedfromalanguagethathecouldnotwrite,Yiddish(269).While
thatisnodoubtahighlyarguableassertion,itlinksinrevelatorywaystothemovementsthrough
theliteratureoflanguagesthathardlyanybodyintheWestcanread,suchasNgugisKikuyu.
NgugifirstcametoworldattentionwritinginEnglish,andhisKikuyutextsevennowmust
appearinEnglishtobereadbymanyoutsideKenya.YetitdoesmakeadifferencethatNgugiis
abletopublishinbothlanguages,thatMilanKundera,aCzechwriter,presentstheFrench
versionsofhisworksastheauthorizedtexts,thatJamesJoyceconductedarevolutioninand
againstEnglish.
Itwouldseem,finally,thattheonesureeffecttheconceptionoftheuniversalhashadin
theworldisquitedifferentfromwhatwewerealltaughtwhenreadingAristotleinschool.
Casanovawritesthat:
thenotionofuniversalityisoneofthemostdiabolicalinventionsofthecenter,for
indenyingtheantagonisticandhierarchicalstructureoftheworld,and
proclaimingtheequalityofallthecitizensoftherepublicofletters,the
monopolistsofuniversalitycommandotherstosubmittotheirlaw.Universality
iswhattheyandtheyalonedeclaretobeacceptableandaccessibletoall.(154)
Thedreamofuniversalityproclaimedatthecenterisanimpossibledream,butithashada
universaleffect,andhereCasanovaforonceappendsnoqualifiers,noornearlyso.

Throughoutfourcenturiesofliteraryhistory,acrossbroadswathesoftheglobe,auniversal
effectofdominationhasproducedthesamemodesofresponseinartiststheworldover.Andif
wemaysometimescavilatCasanovasclaimsforthenoveltyofherapproach,ifwemightfind
herPariscentricviewoftherepublicoflettersmorethanalittledated,fewcomparativistshave
donesuchathoroughjobofanatomizingthewritersresponsestolinguisticandpolitical
domination.ItwouldbedifficulttoconductatouroftheworldsliteraturesfromDanteto
Achebeandnotfallpreytoacertainamountofovergeneralizing;itmightseemsuspectthatthe
tourendscrowningthesameEuropeantextsthathadbeentheverbaliconsoftheverymodesof
criticismCasanovaisattacking,butCasanovaisnowhereonsurergroundthanintrackingthis
oneuniversal:
Althoughtheysoughtawayoutfromasituationofdominationthat,despiteits
historicaldifferences,wasverysimilarstructurally,JoyceandBeckettcompleted
andcrownedthegenesisandemergenceofaworldrepublicofletters:incoming
fullcircleandrediscoveringtheinventorofweaponsforgedagainstLatin
oppression,theyrestoredtoDantesworkitsfullsubversivechargebyraisingit
asthestandardoftheirownrevolutionaryambitions.(330)
ThisisnottosaythatNgugiandAchebeshouldwritelikeBeckettandJoyce;theydonot.Itis
tosaythattheyhavefoundthemselvesinthesamepredicamentsthatthoseIrishartistshadfaced
beforethem,andthattheyformulatedsimilarstrategiesinresponse.Casanovacouldbeover
optimisticinherhopethatthepresentworkmaybecomeasortofcriticalweaponintheservice
ofalldeprivedanddominatedwritersontheperipheryoftheliteraryworld(35455),though
thatsafarbettermotivationthanmost,anditmaywellbethattheperipheryoftheliterary
worldisaslikelytobefoundinthesuburbsofParisasintheouterreachesofwhatwasonce
calledthethirdworld(afactthatCasanovaappreciates),buthermappingoftheresponsesto
dominationamongmanyoftheworldsbest,andmostrepublican,artistsisamongthestrongest
featureofthisbook.

bio:
AldonLynnNielsenistheKellyProfessorofAmericanLiteratureatthePennsylvaniaState
University.HismostrecentcriticalbookisIntegralMusic:LanguagesofAfricanAmerican
Innovation.Anewbookofpoems,Mixage,hasjustbeenpublishedbyZasterleEditions.