Princeton University Press Lectures in European History and Culture II:Think Big! A modest argument about large scales

Martin Puchner gives the second lecture in the Princeton University
Press Lectures in European History and Culture. The idea of world
literature contains an argument in favor of large-scale comparative
projects. But most humanities disciplines have shied away from
these sorts of projects, deterred by a skepticism with respect to
grand narratives and worries about Eurocentric universalism. In
this context, other disciplines from physics to biology have taken
over the job of telling overarching stories. Martin Puchner will
argue that much gets lost when we neglect the big picture. But how
should we humanists proceed, taking into account decades of
critique? Through what kinds of collaborations can we insert what
we know into the narratives our societies tell? In making this
argument, Professor Puchner will be drawing on his experience with
the Norton Anthology of World Literature.