Abstract:

The relational study of Chinese and foreign literatures is one of the basic domains of comparative studies. The previous theoretical reflections on the relational study in question mainly focus on either the issues of methodology or highlighting a single perspective while neglecting the complexity of the domain which commands a prism of multiple perspectives. The present study hence proposes three varied yet interconnected perspectives, namely, the perspective of metacommentary, the perspective of fusion of different cultural horizons, and the perspective of the totality of the world. That is to say, the relational study in question should be viewed from the vantage point of the above three interconnected yet ever-expanding concentric circles, i.e., from micro to macro. It argues that further explorations of those three perspectives can provide more profound and systemic examinations in this field which would in turn facilitate the integration of different research perspectives and approaches.

Key words: relational study of the sino-foreign literatures, multiple perspectives, metacommentary, fusion of different cultural horizons, the totality of the world