The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Literature

The market in companions to philosophy continues to flourish. The series of Routledge Philosophy Companions have now chalked up 22 volumes, of which this is the latest. There are another ten forthcoming. The format remains the same: prestigious editors, several articles written by different hands, with notes and accompanying guides to further reading. At 500 pages, this volume is shorter than some of its predecessors.

The introduction by the editors takes pains to distinguish its subject from so-called literary theory and from philosophy in literature. They comment in their introduction that their primary goal was to produce a work “that...