What is the Philosophy of Literature?

The Philosophy of Literature

In this course, Professor Peter Lamarque (University of York) provides a broad introduction to the philosophy of literature. In the first module, we think about what philosophy actually is. What kinds of questions does the philosopher of literature attempt to answer. After that, we turn to one of the key questions that arises in the philosophy of literature – namely, what is literature? In the third module, we consider some philosophical puzzles relating to fictional characters, before turning in the fourth module to the relation of literature to truth. Finally, in the fifth module, we turn to poetry, focusing in particular on three widely-accepted ‘truths’ about poetry, and what makes them true.

What is the Philosophy of Literature?

In this module, we think about what the philosophy of literature actually is. What kinds of questions does the philosopher of literature attempt to answer?