From Form to Deconstruction: The Centennial Evolution of “Literariness” in 20th-Century Literary Theory

Abstract

Research on the essence and boundaries of literature has been a core concern of literary academics since the 19th century. Taking a diachronic comparative view, this paper traces the century-long evolution of “Literariness” in twentieth-century literary theory from Russian Formalism to Deconstructionism. Jakobson and Shklovsky established the central place of Literariness and stressed the text’s self-sufficiency. Wellek then defined literature’s essence through fictionality, creativity, and imagination, offering a dialectical framework that brings together intrinsic and extrinsic literary studies. Eagleton went further, emphasizing historicity and arguing that Literariness is a product of ideological and power struggles within specific historical contexts. By the late twentieth century, Culler’s deconstructive theory highlighted the plurality of literary features and dismantled the absolute boundary between literature and non-literature. The generation of literary meaning, in this view, depends on readers, texts, and contexts interacting—and that interaction reveals a clear trajectory, that is, Literariness moves from closed self-sufficiency toward openness and plurality.