ABSTRACT

The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Literature is an in-depth examination of literature through a philosophical lens, written by distinguished figures across the major divisions of philosophy. Its 40 newly-commissioned essays are divided into six sections:

  • historical foundations
  • what is literature?
  • aesthetics & appreciation
  • meaning & interpretation
  • metaphysics & epistemology
  • ethics & political theory

The Companion opens with a comprehensive historical overview of the philosophy of literature, including chapters on the study’s ancient origins up to the 18th-20th centuries. The second part defines literature and its different categories. The third part covers the aesthetics of literature. The fourth and fifth sections discuss the meaning and consequences of philosophical interpretation of literature, as well as epistemological and metaphysical issues such as literary cognitivism and imaginative resistance. The sixth section contextualizes the place of philosophy of literature in the "real world" with essays on topics such as morality, politics, race and gender.

Fully indexed, with helpful further reading sections at the end of each chapter, this Companion is an ideal starting point for those coming to philosophy of literature for the first time as well as a valuable reference for readers more familiar with the subject.

part I|64 pages

Historical Foundations>

part II|96 pages

What Is Literature?

chapter 6|16 pages

The Idea of Literature

chapter 7|14 pages

The Novel

chapter 8|10 pages

Poetry

chapter 9|10 pages

Reading Plays as Literature

chapter 10|10 pages

Popular Fiction

chapter 11|10 pages

Screenplays

chapter 13|14 pages

Canon and Tradition

part III|118 pages

Aesthetics and Appreciation

chapter 14|10 pages

Creativity

chapter 15|11 pages

Authorship

chapter 16|11 pages

Expression

chapter 17|10 pages

Literary Style 1

chapter 18|12 pages

Theme

chapter 19|17 pages

Character

chapter 20|13 pages

Empathy

chapter 21|12 pages

The Paradox of Fiction

chapter 22|10 pages

Fiction and Negative Emotions

chapter 23|10 pages

Neuroscience and Literature

part IV|68 pages

Meaning and Interpretation

chapter 24|10 pages

Narrative

chapter 25|11 pages

Narrative Understanding

chapter 26|11 pages

Interpretation

chapter 27|10 pages

Criticism

chapter 28|11 pages

The Poetic Imagination

chapter 29|13 pages

Metaphors in Literature 1

part V|84 pages

Metaphysics and Epistemology

chapter 30|10 pages

The Ontology of Literary Works

chapter 31|13 pages

Fiction

chapter 33|12 pages

Literary Cognitivism

chapter 34|11 pages

Imagination

part VI|52 pages

Ethics and Political Theory

chapter 37|18 pages

Literature and Morality

chapter 38|11 pages

Literature and Marxism

chapter 39|12 pages

Literature and Race

chapter 40|9 pages

Literature and Gender