Literature is dead, long live literature! – French debates at the beginning of the 21st century

The article sets out from the claim that when it comes to literature, we are currently in a period of crisis or a transitional period. Such a view can be seen in the books by French literary theorists which have been published over the last 15 years. The article presents the opinions of William Marx, Tzvetan Todorov, Antoine Compagnon and Vincent Jouve (as well as some other French and Croatian authors) on three key issues: why teach literature, what to teach, and how to teach it. The article therefore addresses the problem of the status of literature, the literary canon and approaches to literary works. The final part of the article argues that literature is not destined to imminent failure because it is able to adapt to the changes brought by the new millennium, so we can agree with Marx's proclamation, "Literature is dead, long live literature!