Philosophy of Literature: An Introduction

This work introduces the philosophy of literature from an analytic perspective. Topics include: the definition of literature; the distinction between oral and written literature and the identity of literary works; the nature of fiction, along with an examination of our emotional involvement with fictional characters and situations; the concept of imagination and its role in the apprehension of literary and non-literary works; theories on metaphor and postmodernist theory on the role of the author’s intention in the appreciation of his/her work; and an examination of the concepts of truth and morality and whether literary appraisal is subjective or objective.