Beyond the Ancient Quarrel

Literature, Philosophy, and J.M. Coetzee

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Theory, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Beyond the Ancient Quarrel by , OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780192527684
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: December 8, 2017
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780192527684
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: December 8, 2017
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

In Plato's Republic, Socrates spoke of an 'ancient quarrel between literature and philosophy' which he offered to resolve once and for all by banning the poets from his ideal city. Few philosophers have taken Socrates at his word, and out of the ancient quarrel there has emerged a long tradition that has sought to value literature chiefly as a useful supplement to philosophical reasoning. The fiction of J.M. Coetzee makes a striking challenge to this tradition. While his writing has frequently engaged philosophical subjects in explicit ways, it has done so with an emphasis on the dissonance between literary expression and philosophical reasoning. And while Coetzee has often overtly engaged with academic literary theory, his fiction has done so in a way that has tended to disorient rather than affirm those same theories, wrong-footing the normal processes of literary interpretation. This volume brings together philosophers and literary theorists to reflect upon the challenge Coetzee has made to their respective disciplines, and to the disciplinary distinctions at stake in the ancient quarrel. The essays use his fiction to explore questions about the boundaries between literature, philosophy, and literary criticism; the relationship between literature, theology, and post-secularism; the particular ways in which literature engages reality; how literature interacts with the philosophies of language, action, subjectivity, and ethics; and the institutions that govern the distinctions between literature and philosophy. It will be of importance not only to readers of Coetzee, but to anyone interested in the ancient quarrel itself.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Plato's Republic, Socrates spoke of an 'ancient quarrel between literature and philosophy' which he offered to resolve once and for all by banning the poets from his ideal city. Few philosophers have taken Socrates at his word, and out of the ancient quarrel there has emerged a long tradition that has sought to value literature chiefly as a useful supplement to philosophical reasoning. The fiction of J.M. Coetzee makes a striking challenge to this tradition. While his writing has frequently engaged philosophical subjects in explicit ways, it has done so with an emphasis on the dissonance between literary expression and philosophical reasoning. And while Coetzee has often overtly engaged with academic literary theory, his fiction has done so in a way that has tended to disorient rather than affirm those same theories, wrong-footing the normal processes of literary interpretation. This volume brings together philosophers and literary theorists to reflect upon the challenge Coetzee has made to their respective disciplines, and to the disciplinary distinctions at stake in the ancient quarrel. The essays use his fiction to explore questions about the boundaries between literature, philosophy, and literary criticism; the relationship between literature, theology, and post-secularism; the particular ways in which literature engages reality; how literature interacts with the philosophies of language, action, subjectivity, and ethics; and the institutions that govern the distinctions between literature and philosophy. It will be of importance not only to readers of Coetzee, but to anyone interested in the ancient quarrel itself.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Animal Eyes by
Cover of the book Antiquities Beyond Humanism by
Cover of the book SBA MCQs for the MRCS Part A by
Cover of the book The Real World of EU Accountability by
Cover of the book Career Behaviour and the European Parliament: All Roads Lead Through Brussels? by
Cover of the book Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care by
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Institutional Analysis by
Cover of the book The Land Question in India by
Cover of the book Monetary Policy Implementation by
Cover of the book The Sultan's Renegades by
Cover of the book Eyes on the Sky by
Cover of the book The Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language by
Cover of the book The English Constitution by
Cover of the book Constitutional Preferences and Parliamentary Reform by
Cover of the book Søren Kierkegaard by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy