Forty-five essential readings in the philosophy of literature are brought together for the first time in this anthology to provide a balanced and coherent overview of developments in the field during the past 30 years. They include substantial and carefully chosen essays and extracts which highlight influential work on fiction, emotion, interpretation, metaphor, literary value, and the definition and ontology of literature. An additional historical section features generous selections of the writings of early pioneers such as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Hume.

This authoritative volume offers a handy compilation of contributions to the field by its leading figures. It is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the philosophy of literature or the philosophy of art.

"This collection provides an ideal introduction to the issues that draw analytic philosophers to literature. It brings together an extraordinary array of the most vital, influential, and sophisticated essays published by philosophers of literature in the past three decades." Stephen Davies, University of Auckland <!--end-->

"These essays, taken together, constitute a serious and probing exploration of several of the most fundamental philosophical puzzles about literature. They are also accessible, engaging, and frequently a lot of fun. A superb collection!" Kendall Walton, University of Michigan

Eileen Johnis 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 Lopesis 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.

Acknowledgments.

Preface.

Part I: Classic Sources:.

Introduction.

1. Republic: Plato.

2. Poetics: Aristotle.

3. Of Tragedy: David Hume.

4. The Birth of Tragedy: Friedrich Nietzsche.

5. Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming: Sigmund Freud.

Part II: Definition of Literature:.

Introduction.

6. Spazio: Arrigo Lora-Totino.

7. What Isn’t Literature?: E. D. Hirsch, Jr.

8. The Concept of Literature: Monroe Beardsley.

9. Literary Practice: Peter Lamarque and Stein Haugom Olsen.

10. What Is Literature?: Robert Stecker.

Part III: Ontology of Literature:.

Introduction.

11. Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote: Jorge Luis Borges.

12. Literary Works as Types: Richard Wollheim.

13. Literature: J. O. Urmson.

14. Can the Work Survive the World?: Nelson Goodman and Catherine Elgin.

15. Work and Text: Gregory Currie.

Part IV: Fiction:.

Introduction.

16. Doonesbury: Garry Trudeau.

17. The Logical Status of Fictional Discourse: John Searle.

18. Truth in Fiction: David Lewis.

19. What Is Fiction?: Gregory Currie.

20. Fiction and Nonfiction: Kendall Walton.

21. Fictional Characters as Abstract Artifacts: Amie Thomasson.

22. Logic and Criticism: Peter Lamarque.

Part V: Emotion:.

Introduction.

23. Applicant: Harold Pinter.

24. How Can We Be Moved by the Fate of Anna Karenina?: Colin Radford.

25. Fearing Fictionally: Kendall Walton.

26. The Pleasures of Tragedy: Susan Feagin.

27. Tragedy and the Community of Sentiment: Flint Schier.

Part VI: Metaphor:.

Introduction.

28. Essay on What I Think about Most: Anne Carson.

29. Metaphor: Max Black.

30. What Metaphors Mean: Donald Davidson.

31. Metaphor and Feeling: Ted Cohen.

32. Metaphor and Prop Oriented Make-Believe: Kendall Walton.

Part VII: Interpretation:.

Introduction.

33. Who Is Responsible in Ethical Criticism, And for What?: Wayne C. Booth.

34. Criticism as Retrieval: Richard Wollheim.

35. The Postulated Author - Critical Monism as a Regulative Ideal: Alexander Nehamas.

36. Art Interpretation: Robert Stecker.

37. Art, Intention, and Conversation: Noël Carroll.

38. Intention and Interpretation: Jerrold Levinson.

39. Style and Personality in the Literary Work: Jenefer Robinson.

Part VIII: Literary Values:.

Introduction.

40. Xingu: Edith Wharton.

41. On the Cognitive Triviality of Art: Jerome Stolnitz.

42. Literature and Knowledge: Catherine Wilson.

43. Finely Aware and Richly Responsible: Martha Nussbaum.

44. Literature, Truth, and Philosophy: Peter Lamarque and Stein Haugom Olsen.

45. The Ethical Criticism of Art: Berys Gaut.

Index