David Damrosch’s essay ‘Frames for World Literature’ presents arguments for what he believes to be how literatures may be considered to be a part of world literature. His definition of world literature can be works where its writers in global languages are translated into languages and has gained a presence outside the country of origin. Works that thrive in translation can also be considered as a defining feature of world literature. Although there are certain losses when a work is translated into another language, the work can also gain numerous things from this effort. Translated works enable the writer to reach larger audiences not only in terms of the number but also in terms of who all gains understanding of the works and the places from where these works originate. If a certain piece of work challenges its home country, it may still succeed in finding an understanding and sympathetic audience outside (Damrosch, 2009, p.497).
As the West is generally considered to be above all other countries which do not belong, this also pertains to works of literature, literature from other countries help bring in a new perspective to the world and the other residents who may not exist in the overarching, all-encompassing parts of the world or economy. Major countries of the world taking its stand in the field of literature is common, according to Damrosch, but this stand used to be limited to countries that are considered Western, or as mentioned in his analogy – a replication of the membership of the United Nations Security Council. This preference is also seen in the first edition ‘Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces’, published in 1956, which included literatures from Western tradition without any women representatives. Any semblance of world literature by encompassing works from different countries was scarce in the next few editions as a few countries was chosen as a representative of almost every non-Western country (Damrosch, 2009, pp.498-501).
According to David Damrosch’s definition of what text can be considered a part of world literature, ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez can be considered. Marquez is a Columbian short story writer, novelist, screenwriter and also journalist received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 and wrote fictional stories with its roots in a magical Latin American setting of his own imagination (Kandell, 2014). The short story ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’, which is translated from Spanish to English, shows the aspects of magical realism with fantastical elements, such as the old man with wings and the carnival spider woman with the head of a sad woman and body of a spider. The story talks of a family who finds an old man with wings in their courtyard while they are killing crabs that came into the house. The old man is initially described as looking like an old ragpicker, and the only fantastical feature was the huge wings sprouting from his back. The old man is gradually considered similar to a circus animal rather than a supernatural creature. As the news of the old man spreads far and wide, the family starts to earn money by charging for people to visit him. The fascination for the old man dies as the travelling show of the Spider Woman arrives, and gradually the old man grows his wings back and flies off into the horizon leaving behind consolation miracles. According to Damrosch’s frames, this story can be considered as a part of world literature as it not essentially from the authors considered to be a part of the Western culture. The story is also devoid of a specific setting, although there are suggestions of it being set in a Spanish speaking country, hence ensuring it has a more global significance. The magical elements of the story emphasize on how the story is not based on history and hence transcends any sense of a particular time and place, bringing forth a universal theme which can apply to any country or time period (Martin, 2018).
Marquez placed his mark in a time when Latin American writers were neglected, and only recently was efforts to include more diverse works into the canon starting its wave. This discovery of his works set the stage for the discovery of other Latin American writers who were not previously considered to be worthy of serious scholarship, and was said to inspire other writers such as Isabel Allende in Chile and Salman Rushdie in Britain (Kandell, 2014).
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Another short story which can be considered by Damrosch’s frames as apart of world literature is ‘Boys and Girls’ by Alice Munroe. This story is a part of Munro’s first collection of short stories called ‘Dance of the Happy Shades’, and has been translated into many languages. The story ‘Boys and Girls’ talks of the loss of innocence of the young narrator, how she gradually begins to understand the gender stereotypes placed in her and eventually begins to believe in them. In the story, the narrator is seen helping her father extensively in his fox farm. She considers herself to be more capable than her younger brother in the various activities they do and is shown to sometimes dislike her mother and the kitchen. As the story progresses, the narrator is exposed to different gender stereotypes by people around her, like her grandmother who tells her she needs to sit with her legs together and things are “none of girls’ business”. Towards the end of the story, the narrator’s brother is seen embracing his stereotypical role of a man when he is shown disregarding his mother and only listening to his father, while the narrator begins to embrace the burden of a girl that is being placed in her.
This story can be considered as part of world literature based on the frames provided by Damrosch as the themes discussed can be considered to encompass a general world view with a few exceptions. The treatment of girls as burdens to the family and their position only being deemed to the kitchen is a common narrative that is seen in many cultures, including the countries that are not considered to be a part of the Western culture. The theme of gender stereotypes and its enforcement on children from a young age is seen in this story and it can be recognized around the world. Conformity to what the society believes to be a person’s role in the world is also an important theme in this story, which is transcends all cultures, hence gaining global significance (UKEssays, 2018).
As an author, Munro has also gained recognition around the world for ensuring her works established her femininity and ambition at the same time. Editors such as Daniel Menaker refer to Munro as an “experimental writer in the clothing of a classical writer” (Edemariam, 2003).
Munro’s and Marquez’s works perhaps bring a light into what can be considered to be a part of world literature, whether from the margins or from within the center itself. Both these works describe identities in their short stories that can be recognized globally through the chosen themes of stereotypes and freedom. The texts emphasize connecting with a global identity despite any differences that exists, hence encompassing what can be considered a part of world literature according to David Damrosch’s ‘Frames for World Literature’.
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