Ugotovitev, da je človekova ustvarjalnost, kamor spada tudi književnost, brez meja, je postala že obče mesto. Ta članek se zato ne ukvarja s književnostjo per se, temveč z načini gledanja nanjo, kar pa je že samo po sebi odvisno od stanja v tisti družbi, v kateri je bila umetnost, ki jo proučujemo, tudi ustvarjena. Najbrž zato lahko trdimo, da je namen književnosti vselej presegati resničnost, ponuditi vedno pogled "preko", kakršnega resničnost ne ponuja. Kako torej lahko z omejenimi sredstvi dojamemo neomejeno stvar? V zadnjih dvesto letih so bile književnosti v narodnih jezikih razumljene kot nacionalne. Razprava o književnosti zato nujno zajame vprašanje nacije, s katero je bistveno povezano drugo vprašanje: kultura. Ali to pomeni, da je vprašanje nacionalne književnosti bolj politično kot estetsko in obratno? Videti je, da je ekskluzivna, eno-kulturna perspektiva za književnost škodljiva. Pričujoči prispevek se ukvarja s svetovno in primerjalno književnostjo ter njunimi več- in medkulturnimi perspektivami, kakor tudi razlikami v razmerju do samega pojma književnosti. and Realization that human artistic endeavours, where also literature belongs, have no borders has become a common place. This article will thus not deal with literature per se but with ways of looking at it, which, in their own turn, depend on the state of society the studied art was created in. It is probably safe to claim that the purpose of literature is always to transcend reality, to offer a look "across", which the reality does not offer. How then can we with limited means grasp un unlimited entity? For the last two hundred years literatures in vernacular languages have been understood as national. The discussion of literature necessarily spreads to the question of a nation and with the latter another issue is critically linked: the question of culture. Does that mean that the question of national literature is more political than aesthetic or vice versa? As it appears, an exclusive mono-cultural perspective would be detrimental to literature. This article deals with the concepts of world and comparative literatures and their multi- or intercultural perspectives and their own main idiosyncrasies in relation to the concept of literature.