In Praise of Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Theory
Cover of the book In Praise of Literature by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo, Wiley
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo ISBN: 9781509502721
Publisher: Wiley Publication: May 17, 2016
Imprint: Polity Language: English
Author: Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
ISBN: 9781509502721
Publisher: Wiley
Publication: May 17, 2016
Imprint: Polity
Language: English

In this new book Zygmunt Bauman and Riccardo Mazzeo examine the contentious issue of the relation between literature (and the arts in general) and sociology (or, more generally, a branch of the humanities claiming scientific status). While many commentators see literature and sociology as radically different vocations, Bauman and Mazzeo argue that they are bound together by a common purpose and a shared subject matter. Despite the many differences in terms of their methods and their ways of presenting their findings, novels and sociological texts are not at cross-purposes. Indeed, it is precisely their differences that make them at once indispensable to each other and mutually complementary.

The writers of novels and of sociological texts may explore their world from different perspectives, seeking and producing different types of ‘data’, but their products bear the unmistakable marks of their shared origin. They feed each other and depend on each other in terms of their agenda, their discoveries and the contents of their messages. In a world characterized by the continuous search for new sensations and the fetishism of consumption, they bring fundamental existential questions back to the public agenda. Literature and sociology reveal the truth of the human condition only when they stay in one another's company, remaining attentive to each other's findings and engaged in a continuous dialogue. For only together can they rise to the challenging task of untangling and laying bare the complex intertwining of biography and history as well as of individual and society that totality we are constantly shaping while being shaped by it.

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

In this new book Zygmunt Bauman and Riccardo Mazzeo examine the contentious issue of the relation between literature (and the arts in general) and sociology (or, more generally, a branch of the humanities claiming scientific status). While many commentators see literature and sociology as radically different vocations, Bauman and Mazzeo argue that they are bound together by a common purpose and a shared subject matter. Despite the many differences in terms of their methods and their ways of presenting their findings, novels and sociological texts are not at cross-purposes. Indeed, it is precisely their differences that make them at once indispensable to each other and mutually complementary.

The writers of novels and of sociological texts may explore their world from different perspectives, seeking and producing different types of ‘data’, but their products bear the unmistakable marks of their shared origin. They feed each other and depend on each other in terms of their agenda, their discoveries and the contents of their messages. In a world characterized by the continuous search for new sensations and the fetishism of consumption, they bring fundamental existential questions back to the public agenda. Literature and sociology reveal the truth of the human condition only when they stay in one another's company, remaining attentive to each other's findings and engaged in a continuous dialogue. For only together can they rise to the challenging task of untangling and laying bare the complex intertwining of biography and history as well as of individual and society that totality we are constantly shaping while being shaped by it.

More books from Wiley

Cover of the book The Ideal Team Player by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Global History by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book The High-Potential Leader by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Where there's a Will... Motivation and Volition in College Teaching and Learning by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Occupational and Environmental Lung Diseases by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Structural Design for Fire Safety by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Applied Cryptography by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Starting an eBay Business For Dummies by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Shift and Reset by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Understanding Mathematical and Statistical Techniques in Hydrology by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Indian Ocean Biogeochemical Processes and Ecological Variability by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book A Culture of Purpose by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book A Companion to Latin American History by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
Cover of the book Handbook of Systems Engineering and Management by Zygmunt Bauman, Riccardo Mazzeo
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