System Theories

Polysytems
Polysystem of a given national literature is viewed as one element creating larger socio-cultural polysystem.
Literature thus is a part of social, cultural, literary and historical framework.
It is no longer viewed as a collection of texts, but as a set of factors governing the production, promotion and reception of these texts.

Hierarchy I
Definition: The positioning and interaction at a given historical moment of the different strata of the polysystem.
The relations between systems are in constant competition.
Those at the center dominate and control the polysystem and thus both provide and govern its official ideologies and practices, while those toward the periphery represent alternative or marginal systems.

Hierarchy II
Even- Zohar mentions three major cases when translated literature occupies the primary position
1 When a young literature is being established and looks initially to older literature for read-made models.
2 When a literature is peripheral or weak and imports those literary types which it is lacking. This can happen when a smaller nation is dominated by the culture of a larger one.
3 When there is a critical turning point in literary history at which established models are no longer considered sufficient, or when there is a vacuum in the literature of the country.

…