Includes bibliographical references (pages [91]-96) and index.
Contents:
Part 1. The Point of Reading -- Justice and Literature; Part 2. Bonds of Justice -- Pity and the Moral Role of Sadness -- Fallen Angels; Coda; Appendix: Compassion and Pity.
Summary:
"Literature and justice are entwined in many other ways. Ancient Greek tragedies are underpinned by discontinuities between human nomos and a more binding dike. Comedies often depend upon justice: the braggart being exposed and shamed, the overly-witty being humbled, the self-assured being rattled. Love plots, too, mobilize justice - as when a true lover suddenly shines, causing a false one to evaporate. The list goes on. When literature gives voice to the marginalized, when it destabilizes power-structures, when it creates imaginary alternatives, when it denaturalizes norms or exposes oppression, the experiences that go into its writing, reading, and interpreting are framed by justice. Conversely, when literature cooperates with the limiting of others, when it belittles oppression, deepens stigmatization, offers entertaining escapism when more committed agency is called for, its shortcomings are failures in relation to justice"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.