Why Literature Matters in the 21st Century - Mark William Roche

Not just another jeremiad against prevailing '-isms' and orthodoxies Why Literature Matters in the 21st Century examines literature in its connection to virtue and moral excellence. The author is concerned with literature as the teacher of virtue. The current crisis in the humanities Mark William Roche argues may be traced back to the separation of art and morality. When the distinction between is and ought is leveled he writes, the power of the professions increases. The arts and humanities concern themselves with the fate and prospects of humankind. Today that fate and those prospects are under the increasing influence of technology. In a technological age literature gains in importance precisely to the extent that our sense of intrinsic value is lost. In its elevation of play and inexhaustible meaning literature offers a counterbalance to reason and efficiency. It helps us grasp the ways in which diverse parts form a comprehensive and complex whole and it connects us with other ages and cultures. Not least great literature grapples with the ethical challenges of the day.

TITLE: Why Literature Matters in the 21st Century

AUTHOR: Mark William Roche

SKU: 9780300104493

PUBLISHER: Yale University Press

DATE PUBLISHED: 19/11/2004

PLACE PUBLISHED: United States

PAGES: 304

BINDING: Hardback

LANGUAGE: English

DIMENSIONS: 156 mm x 234 mm