Literature and values

More about the book

Literature serves as a vital means of worldmaking, helping us make sense of our lives while reflecting, reinforcing, and constructing the norms and values we uphold. Despite the renewed focus on the ethical dimension of literature, the intricate relationship between literature and values requires further exploration. This volume delves into how literature and other media represent, disseminate, and construct values. Through historical case studies from the Early Modern era to the twenty-first century, it examines literature's shaping influence on moral values and the reciprocal impact of existing norms on literary works. The essays investigate the intersection of ethics and aesthetics, exploring how moral and aesthetic dimensions influence one another. They also analyze strategies for mediating values and raising awareness of moral issues. The first part of the volume discusses theories and concepts related to values and ethical norms, highlighting the complex interplay between literature and values. The second part presents a diverse array of historical and critical case studies, offering numerous examples that illustrate the dissemination and negotiation of values in literature and other media.