This paper focuses on the eurocentric ideology of universalism in J. W. Goethe's "World Literature" paradigm, which has been a comparatist manifesto in the department of western comparative literature since its foundation. Goethe insists that "national literature is no longer of importance, it is time for world literature." It means that the phenomenon which he calls world literature will come about mainly when the disputes within one nation are settled by the opinions and judgements of others. So, western comparative literature studies claim to stand for the principles of universalism of Goethe's world literature, which totalize international literary works across linguistic, territorial, and national particularities. In the early twentieth century, this kind of literary universalism seems to go beyond the european nationalism, which has produced the nation-centric tendency since the eighteenth century. However, simple universalism cannot be the eventual alternative to particularism is not defined by the transcendental separatism, but rather by the correlative, situational position of the viewer. For example, a certain cultural category looks like universal to the interior inhabitant, whereas looks like particular to the exterior inhabitant. In the instance of nation, national culture and identity functions to bind together heterogenic members into the single national group, but in the instance of the global, national culture and identity functions to differentiate distinctive national groups. Universalism and particularism are not divided into the absolute opposite ends. They are not only connected to each other, but also maintain the immanent relation. Behind the universalism of Goethe's world literature, there exists an ambivalent collusion with particularism, which might result in any kinds of centrism. According to Goethe's remark of "a European, indeed a world literature," his concept of world literature is not a universal category that includes all of the world nations, but rather a limited category that includes only european nations. So, it is inevitable that the universal appeal of world literature should be questioned by the ideological inspection. In fact, Goethe, and then western comparative literature' universalism is related to the european imperial expansion in the nineteenth century. The european expansion into the outside of Europe makes any kinds of universalistic claim because expanding far beyond the continent of europe offers the possibility that bind together each of european nations into the single Europe. Therefore, we must have a doubt about the real meaning and intention of all kinds of universalistic claims, revealing the limitations of those, and thereby promise that the more universal universalism could make its appearance.
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