A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature

In its richness, variety, learning, and consistent balance, this volume, which assembles some of the great names in the field, along with brilliant younger critics like Joshua Landy and Rupert Read, will serve as a cornerstone for anyone interested in the inextricability of philosophy and literature. Indeed, the various branches of philosophy, especially ethics and epistemology, emerge as indispensable for an understanding of major literary texts from Shakespeare to Stevens. Marjorie Perloff, author of Wittgenstein's Ladder In the 1980s, English-speaking philosophers began taking a renewed systematic interest in literature, not so much to determine what sort of thing literature might be as to understand philosophy itself in relation to such things as narrative, tragedy, and literary language. This comprehensive volume brings together lively discussion and debate on the most important work that has been done in this area. A true and faithful companion indeed. Gerald Bruns, Notre Dame University This diverse collection of essays represents the most recent critical thinking concerning the philosophical study of literature. Contributed by an international team of eminent scholars drawn from the fields of both literature and philosophy, the great majority of essays are newly commissioned for this volume, supplemented by a few indispensable works of recent scholarship. All are rich in literary examples and analytical precision. For ease of course use, the essays are helpfully grouped within the major subdivisions of the field, among them 'Relations Between Philosophy and Literature', 'Emotional Engagement and the Experience of Reading', 'Literature and the Moral Life', and 'Literary Language'. By bringing together such an extraordinary collection of influential and thought-provoking essays, A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature reveals the deep and expansive nature of philosophical and literary studies - and the inextricable bonds they share.