BA in Philosophy, PhD in Comparative Literature (Harvard). Teaches at Harvard University. Website: martinpuchner.com; Twitter: martin_puchner; Facebook:Masterpieces of World Literature
A survey of how stories have shaped the world based on my book The Written World: The Power of St... more A survey of how stories have shaped the world based on my book The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization.
An article based on a conversation about The Written World, with particular reference to Mursaki ... more An article based on a conversation about The Written World, with particular reference to Mursaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji
An essay on Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul; a cultural tour with Turkish dissident Murat Belge; and an ac... more An essay on Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul; a cultural tour with Turkish dissident Murat Belge; and an account of the city that contributed to the formation of world literature.
Based on the author’s work as general editor of the Norton Anthology of World Literature, the ess... more Based on the author’s work as general editor of the Norton Anthology of World Literature, the essay develops an approach to world literature centered on world creation. The creation of literary worlds can be understood within the framework of possible worlds theory as developed by Thomas Pavel, Lubomir Dolezel and others. Taking its point of departure from possible worlds theory, the essay then focuses on specific genres that foreground the capacity of literature to create whole worlds, including world creation myths and science fiction. Three terms are used to analyze this body of literature: refer- ence; scale; and model. While the category of reference accounts for the status of the worlds to be found within literary works, scale and model capture the particular challenges world creation literature faces.
An argument about the debate surrounding the New Modernist Studies, including my book Poetry of t... more An argument about the debate surrounding the New Modernist Studies, including my book Poetry of the Revolution.
An argument about the importance of genre, especially in relation to the closet dramas, manifesto... more An argument about the importance of genre, especially in relation to the closet dramas, manifestos, and the drama of ideas.
A survey of how stories have shaped the world based on my book The Written World: The Power of St... more A survey of how stories have shaped the world based on my book The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization.
An article based on a conversation about The Written World, with particular reference to Mursaki ... more An article based on a conversation about The Written World, with particular reference to Mursaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji
An essay on Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul; a cultural tour with Turkish dissident Murat Belge; and an ac... more An essay on Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul; a cultural tour with Turkish dissident Murat Belge; and an account of the city that contributed to the formation of world literature.
Based on the author’s work as general editor of the Norton Anthology of World Literature, the ess... more Based on the author’s work as general editor of the Norton Anthology of World Literature, the essay develops an approach to world literature centered on world creation. The creation of literary worlds can be understood within the framework of possible worlds theory as developed by Thomas Pavel, Lubomir Dolezel and others. Taking its point of departure from possible worlds theory, the essay then focuses on specific genres that foreground the capacity of literature to create whole worlds, including world creation myths and science fiction. Three terms are used to analyze this body of literature: refer- ence; scale; and model. While the category of reference accounts for the status of the worlds to be found within literary works, scale and model capture the particular challenges world creation literature faces.
An argument about the debate surrounding the New Modernist Studies, including my book Poetry of t... more An argument about the debate surrounding the New Modernist Studies, including my book Poetry of the Revolution.
An argument about the importance of genre, especially in relation to the closet dramas, manifesto... more An argument about the importance of genre, especially in relation to the closet dramas, manifestos, and the drama of ideas.
An essay about the role of writing technologies in world literature, drawing on my book The Writt... more An essay about the role of writing technologies in world literature, drawing on my book The Written World.
A book-length argument about the relations between theater and philosophy from Plato to the twent... more A book-length argument about the relations between theater and philosophy from Plato to the twentieth century.
A book-length argument about the role of political and artistic manifestos in twentieth-century c... more A book-length argument about the role of political and artistic manifestos in twentieth-century culture.
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Papers by Martin Puchner
https://www.publicbooks.org/the-road-to-the-holy-mountain/