Reality and Truth in Literature : From Ancient to Modern European Literary and Critical Discourse / Irena Avsenik Nabergoj

• VerfasserIn: Avsenik Nabergoj, Irena Dr.
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (230 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

This study provides a critical survey of views on reality and truth in the realm of philosophy and literary theory. Its aim is to show how important it is to focus our critical attention on literature itself as a way of conveying a general view of totality of things, with special attention to human life and death, effort and suffering, success and failure. A work of literature and art does not characterize experience and knowledge as such, but rather the response of concrete characters to the problems of human existence and fate. The monograph deals with pre-modern philosophical reflection on reality and truth, with post-modern ways of representation of reality in myth, history, biography, autobiography and fiction, and with sublime perceptions of beauty, love and forgiveness. The views of the writers show that there are important differences in presenting reality and truth in relation to material and historical facts. But the most important distinction is in dealing with dimensions of true life of human persons in their ineffable feelings and ideas.

Table of Contents

""Title Page""; ""Copyright""; ""Table of Contents""; ""Body""; ""Acknowledgements""; ""Foreword""; ""Preliminary Remark""; ""Introduction""; ""1. Literary Types as a System of Communication, and Art as an Expression of Reality""; ""1.1 Aristotle's Classification of Literary Genres and his Treatise on Literary Reality""; ""1.2 Horace's Poetical Treatise on Unity and Harmony in Poetry""; ""2. Reality in Pre-Modern Philosophical Reflection on Art and in Literary Theory""; ""2.1 Plato's Bases for Recognising and Expressing Reality and Truth in Philosophy and in Literature""

""2.1.1 The Individual's and the State's Path to Justice""""2.1.2 Criticism of Poets' Depictions of Nature and Divine and Human Behaviour""; ""2.1.3 The Real World and the World of the Senses as well as the “Ancient Quarrel between Philosophy and Poetry�""; ""2.2 Thomas Aquinas as an Interpreter of Polysemous Words and Symbols""; ""2.3 Art and Truth in Classics of Literary Theory""; ""3. Reality in Myth, History and Fiction""; ""3.1 Reality in Myths, in Literary Representations of History, and in Poetry""; ""3.2 Reality in Fiction and in Literary Portrayals of Historical Events""

""Conclusion""""4. Reality and Fiction in Biography and Autobiography""; ""4.1 Autobiographical Literature as a Sub-Section of Biographical Literature, and the Problem of Reality""; ""4.2 Some Classic European Biographical and Autobiographical Works""; ""4.3 Seminal Works of Slovenian Autobiography""; ""5. Presentation of Values in Literature and in Religious Traditions""; ""5.1 Literature as a Distinct Mode of Thought and Foundational Values""; ""5.2 Methodological Prospects Spanning Ancient and Modern Views""