ABSTRACT
The Conclusion returns to the role of the median context of semiperipheries in our approach to works of world literature. A semiperiphery like Central Europe brings to our attention the reductionism of the center–periphery paradigm and its linear model of diffusion and response. By stressing the transformative potential of literary texts, Central European writers encourage us to consider works from other parts of the world in terms of what we can do with them as individual readers. Texts from other regions inspire personal transformation as well, yet this function remains concealed if we approach them from the political perspective of the center–periphery dynamic. Moreover, the supranational but subglobal perspective of regions revitalizes literature in the age of new media and in our current technical climate. By recognizing the importance of languages and close reading, this perspective underscores the specificity of literature as a medium that presupposes and hones traditional skills of literacy that have not lost their pertinence. Literature’s intricate mechanisms and multilayered compositions cultivate both useful skills and personal discoveries.
