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 will be attractive to both researchers and university instructors (for use in graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses)”. Contributors were asked to strike a balance “between survey and originality, and to write in such a way that readers new to the field will acquire a sense not only of the showcase debates but also of how one might go about making innovative contributions to them.” The volume’s 40 chapters are divided into six sections. The five chapters in Historical Foundations move from ancient beginnings to the present. What is Literature? (eight chapters) covers issues of definition of, for example, the novel and poetry. Aesthetics and Appreciation (ten chapters) is the largest section, covering topics like creativity, expression and literary style. Meaning and Interpretation (six chapters) deals with narrative, criticism and metaphor. Metaphysics and Epistemology (seven chapters) has chapters considering whether works of fiction can produce any form of knowledge. Finally, the section Ethics and Political Theory has chapters on literature and morality, Marxism, gender and race.
The philosophy of literature as an academic field is comparatively recent, and one soon notices that, apart from a few mentions of Plato and Aristotle, most references are to articles and academic criticism from the last 20 years. One of the editors of this volume receives more references than Kant, for example. This tendency gives a somewhat parochial tone to some of the chapters. On the other hand, several are clearly and incisively written. One would like to think that their subject, literature, has encouraged the authors to write well. The chapters The Novel, Expression, Literary Style, and Character are just a few that can be recommended. The chapter Character has interesting remarks on Othello, and in general the most interesting essays are those that give some insight into the works of literature they refer to, for they bring alive the philosophical problem under discussion. Overall, however, this is an admirable and full survey of the field, and essential to any university library.
