Iovănel’s Sociology and the Utility of Pop Culture. Analyzing the Contemporary Understanding of Literary Marginality in Romania
Abstract: This article analyzes the role of cultural sociology and elements of pop culture when exploring the current relationship between Romanian literature and the world literary system. I use Mihai Iovănel’s work (his recent History, as well as previous research) as a springboard into a discussion about the paradoxes and the disputes characterizing contemporary World Literature studies and I argue that his employment of materialism and cultural sociology alike helps move past some of the blind spots of the discipline. The final section of the article then shows that Iovănel’s focus on popular culture also informs his understanding of literary circulation, highlighting its unpredictable and non-linear nature.
Keywords: World Literature, cultural sociology, materialism, temporality, pop culture, literary history, Mihai Iovănel.
Citation suggestion: Chiorean, Maria. “Iovănel’s Sociology and the Utility of Pop Culture. Analyzing the Contemporary Understanding of Literary Marginality in Romania”. Transilvania, no. 7-8 (2021): 22-31.
https://doi.org/10.51391/trva.2021.07-08.03.
