世界文學具有多重含義。學界在討論世界文學時,往往并沒有注意區分學科設置中的世界文學、實際教研中的世界文學和作為前沿學術問題的世界文學。就最后一層含義來說,國際學界對這一問題的思考主要針對世界文學機制,而非世界文學作品。這種思考源于20世紀70年代以來學者們對世界的重新認識,而這種機制實際上是世界機制。但這一世界并不完全等同于現實世界,而是獨特的文學世界,即一種空間。這種空間里的實質內容,是更加復雜和精微的文學關系。因此,作為空間的世界文學,是文學研究的新范式,也是比較文學研究的新課題。

World literature has multiple meanings such as world literature as a discipline,as a pedagogical practice,or as a theoretical problem.As to the last meaning of the concept,scholars worldwide have emphasized the institution of world literature more than world literature works.This emphasis comes as a result of a rethinking of the world after the 1970 s,so that the "institution" here is substantially the institution of the world.However,this "world" should not be taken as the real world,but a unique world of literature,and the essence of this institution is the more complex and more subtle literary relationship.Therefore,world literature as a literary space is a new paradigm in literary studies and a new subject in comparative literature studies.