This collection of incisive essays is a nuanced interrogation of the suitability of literature as a vehicle for moral philosophy - a complex debate at the intersection of ethics and aesthetics . What connects these different perspectives is a central question: is literature is an appropriate medium for approaching and unpicking moral, ethical and philosophical questions? And what insights does its form allow? Numerous philosophers have shown a great deal of interest in the possibility of reading literature as a philosophical exercise, with proponents such as Martha Nussbaum and Iris Murdoch leading the quest for a philosophical style which is more representative of human experience than abstract, analytic texts. This volume brings together 12 exciting new contributions to this debate, contextualised by a comprehensive and in-depth editorial introduction that delves into it''s conceptual lineage. Grouped into three thematic sections, chapters explore literature''s ability to be argumentative, its potential to bring about moral growth, and the rich diversity of philosophical thought across different literary genres.

Autorentext

Grace Whistler has held the positions of Associate Fellow at Le Collegium de Lyon, France, Guest Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher in French Literature and Culture at RMC Kingston Ontario, Canada, and has taught Philosophy at the University of York, UK.

Inhalt

Preface

Editor's Introduction, Grace Whistler

Part One: Literature as Argument

1. Reading as a Way of Seeing: Literature and the Perception of Place, Ghazouane Arslane, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

2. Jean Paul's Critique of Kant's Ethics and Theory of Immortality, *Jon Stewart, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia

   • 3. Perfomativity and/or Heterobiography: Judith Butler and Mikhail Bakhtin, Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, The University of Haifa, Israel
     4. The Dream of Reason: Parables and Monsters in the Novels of Giannina Braschi, Grace Whistler, Association of Colleges, UK

   Part Two: Literature for Moral Growth

   5. Ethics, Literature and the Potential for Change, Nora Hämäläinen, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic

3. The Value of Literature: Morality and Meaning, Christopher Hamilton, King's College London, UK
   7. Becoming Human: Literature and Moral Growth, Anthony J. Cascardi, University of California, Berkeley, USA

4. The Ethics of Narrative Art: Philosophy in Schools, Compassion and Learning from Stories, Laura D'Olimpio and Andrew Peterson, both University of Birmingham, UK

   Part Three: The Genres of Philosophy

5. Albert Camus and the Literary Evolution of Theatrum Mundi, Sophie Bastien, The Royal Military College of Canada
   
   10. The Myth of Faust and the Idea of Transgression, John Krapp, Hofstra University, USA
6. The Sorrow of the Lone One: Existential Despair in Mary Shelley's The Last Man, Katalin Nun Stewart, independent scholar
7. 'The Salamander of the Human Soul': The Melodrama of Scepticism in Dostoevsky and Tarkovsky, Stephen Mulhall, University of Oxford, UK