PHILOSOPHY OF LITERATURE II

Literature and moral life

This course is an introduction to moral philosophy and literary thought through the lens of their interconnectedness. The principal aim will be to focus on key concepts in the dialogue between literary and philosophical studies, dealing with the question of how fiction and philosophy are related to one another in contemporary debates. The course will be devoted to exploring how literature addresses central aspects of ethics.

Learning outcomes, on successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

1. apply philosophical concepts to literary issues
2. critically engage with arguments of philosophy of literature, criticizing and organizing arguments
3. distinguish dimensions relevant to their own specialties

Philosophy of Literature I

What can stories and poems teach? Is literature essential to moral philosophy? Is literature moral philosophy? The course will investigate the ethical significance of literary works and the issue of demarcation. Some of the topics that will be considered are literary communication, objectivity, selfhood, authorship, character, and style. Sources include philosophical analyses of literature and works of literature.
We will investigate the ethical significance of literary work through careful readings of texts and other materials: poems, fictional narratives, plays.

- I. Murdoch, "Existentialists and Mystics. Writings on Philosophy and Literature", Chatto & Windus (a selection)

- C. Diamond, "The Difficulty of Reality and the Difficulty of Philosophy" in «Partial Answers», I, 2003, pp. 1-26

- C. Diamond, "The Importance of Being Human", in D. Cockburn (ed.), "Human Beings", Cambridge University Press

- M. Nussbaum, M.C. Nussbaum, "Poetic Justice. The Literary Imagination", Beacon Press

Method of evaluation: oral and written examination based on problems considered during the course.

Written/oral examination criteria:

- One five-page essay: 40%
- Class participation (including presentation): 20 %
- Finall examination: 40%

Method of instruction: the main teaching methods of the course are the lecture, the lecture-discussion, and the seminar. Every student will be encouraged to participate in the discussion of the materials (small group seminars and presentations).

Italian

Additional readings may be found online. I will make them electronically available (Moodle material).
The material on JSTOR can be downloaded directly from the electronic resources of the Library.

written and oral