Universal themes as a bridge in transnational literary studies

This paper examines the role of universal themes such as love, death, identity, grief, and the search for meaning as conceptual bridges in transnational literary studies. Based on a comparative and world literary framework, this study argues that universal themes function not as a tool for cultural homogenization but as dynamic sites of cross-cultural dialogue that allow readers and scholars to explore linguistic, geographical, and ideological boundaries. Through qualitative and hermeneutic analysis of selected transnational literary works and theoretical frameworks, this paper shows how repetitive thematic structures facilitate the circulation and reception of literature across national contexts. These findings suggest that universal themes, when read through a cultural lens, reveal shared human experiences and irreducible peculiarities of local traditions. This study contributes to the ongoing debate in the study of world literature by proposing a multiriversal reading model that respects the universality and cultural specificity of the literary theme, as well as examining the pedagogical implications of this model for the teaching of world literature in various educational contexts.