Essential readings in the philosophy of literature are brought together for the first time in this anthology.
Contains forty-five substantial and carefully chosen essays and extracts
Provides a balanced and coherent overview of developments in the field during the past thirty years, including influential work on fiction, interpretation, metaphor, literary value, and the definition and ontology of literature
Includes an additional historical section featuring generous selections of the writings of early pioneers such as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Hume
Serves as an ideal introduction to the philosophy of literature or the philosophy of art, as well as a handy compilation of contributions to the field by its leading figures
About the Author
Eileen John is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Louisville, specializing in aesthetics and philosophy of literature. Her essays have appeared in the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Philosophy and Literature, and The Henry James Review.
Dominic McIver Lopes is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Understanding Pictures (1996) and co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Aesthetics (2000) and Imagination, Philosophy, and the Arts (2003). He is also co-editor, with Berys Gaut, of the Blackwell series New Directions in Aesthetics.
Features
Collects together for the first time the essential readings in the philosophy of literature
Contains 45 substantial and carefully chosen essays and extracts
Provides a balanced and coherent overview of developments in the field during the past 30 years, including influential work on fiction, interpretation, metaphor, literary value, and the definition and ontology of literature
Includes an additional historical section featuring generous selections of the writings of early pioneers such as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Hume
Serves as an ideal introduction to the philosophy of literature or the philosophy of art, as well as a handy compilation of contributions to the field by its leading figures
