Towards a Transhistorical Understanding of the Value of Literary Study

Abstract Against the backdrop of a crisis in the humanities, this study examines the contested value of literary study in a time of mounting institutional skepticism and public scrutiny. It introduces the method of transhistoricity as a comparative-historical approach that can trace recurring patterns in the valuation of literary study across time, revealing both its transformative potential and enduring significance. Starting by mapping out the current crisis, it features why it is crucial to revisit this issue within today’s socio-political and educational context, where the academic discipline of literary studies is faced with a wave of challenges. It then proceeds with a critical overview of recent defenses of literary study, arguing that their implicit reliance on historical precedents points to the need for the establishment of a diachronic framework—one that could extract the historical and transhistorical values embedded in the study of literature and support the shaping of the field. By synthesizing existing scholarship through this prism, the study adds to the dialogue on the value of literary study, highlighting the need for innovative methodologies and opening up new avenues for inquiry into the comparative and historical nature of literary valuation.