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English and the Language of Others

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2009

Robert J.C. Young
Robert J.C. Young
Affiliation:
Faculty of Arts & Science, English Department, New York University, 19 University Place, 514, New York, New York 10003, USA. E-mail: rjy2@nyu.edu
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Abstract

Any consideration of English in the context of a literature for Europe prompts the question of whether English can be contained within the paradigm of Europe, whether it could or should ever be restrained from overflowing its edges and boundaries. While English was created from the crucible of European languages, its filiations have long since stretched far beyond the borders of the continent. Close observation of the dynamics of English, and of English Literature, it could be argued, illustrates one reason why contemporary Britain finds it difficult to limit itself to an exclusively European dimension.

Type
Focus: European Literature
Information
European Review , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 203 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Academia Europaea 2009

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