Earl Miner: comparative poetics and the construction of world poetics

In current international comparative literature scholarship, Earl Miner's significant contribution seems to be overlooked, although comparative poetics is still discussed periodically. To the author, Miner is not the first to shift critical attention from a traditional Eurocentric or West-centric mode to East-West comparative literature and theoretical studies. But he should, however, be regarded as having transcended what was achieved by his contemporaries such as Ren, A parts per thousand tiemble, Douwe Fokkema and James Liu; and as having reached the level of general literary studies. His practice is close to current studies of world literature, although he seldom used this term. But the present discussion on the issue of world literature lacks the construction of world poetics. Inspired by Miner's preliminary work, the author tries to continue his incomplete project and offer his own theoretical construction of such a world poetics as crossing the boundary of languages and cultures. To the author, even in today's global cultural context, Miner's legacy should still be considered important and pioneering in the construction of world literary theory.