Tzvetan Todorov The Concept of Literature This book, which we present to Arabic readers, is in fact a collection of studies extracted from Tzvetan Todorov's book, *The Concept of Literature* (La Notion Literaire). We have added another study, which we felt was appropriate to the nature of the topics we chose and, indeed, forms a complete unit reflecting the vision of this linguistic critic. This study is "Metaphorical Relations," which Todorov had published in a book he co-authored with a number of writers, critics, and scholars, entitled *The Significance of Poetry*. In this selective work, we aimed to achieve two objectives: First, we sought to establish a bridge connecting contemporary Arab critical thought with some of the most innovative currents in Western critical thought, namely linguistic criticism. As its name suggests, this criticism occupies a middle ground between literary theory and the methodology of contemporary linguistic study. Secondly, we also wanted to offer the reader a glimpse into the author's way of thinking and his critical approach. Indeed, several facets of this penetrating intellect are evident in this book: it guides us through a delightful garden of visions, ideas, and philosophies, and through a vast expanse adorned with the works of great writers and their most significant writings. We know that the Arab reader still eagerly anticipates new developments, driven by a desire to understand others, discover themselves, or evaluate their own work through comparison. For nothing expresses the soul's yearning for renewal and the mind's hope for modernizing methodologies and enriching ideas more clearly than comparison.