Philosophy of Literature

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Philosophy of Literature

An Introduction

Literary theory Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers Philosophy: aesthetics

Author: Christopher New

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Language: English

Published by: Routledge

Published on: 4th January 2002

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 304 Kb

ISBN: 9781134825196


Introduction

Literature, like the visual arts, poses its own philosophical problems. While literary theorists have discussed the nature of literature intensively, analytic philosophers have usually dealt with literary problems either within the general framework of aesthetics or else in a way that is accessible only to a philosophical audience. The present book is unique in that it introduces the philosophy of literature from an analytic perspective accessible to both students of literature and students of philosophy.

Key Topics Addressed

The book addresses: the definition of literature, the distinction between oral and written literature and the identity of literary works; the nature of fiction and our emotional involvement with fictional characters; the concept of imagination and its role in the apprehension of literary works; theories of metaphor and postmodernist theory on the significance of the authors' intentions to the interpretation of their work; an examination of the relevance of truth and morality to literary appreciation.

Features

Lucid and well organised and free from jargon, Philosophy of Literature: An Introduction offers fresh approaches to traditional problems and raises new issues in the philosophy of literature.

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