Analytic aesthetics
pp. 295-314
in: Barry Stocker, Michael Mack (eds), The Palgrave handbook of philosophy and literature, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
Analytic philosophy of literature explores general concepts, such as "literature', "fiction', "narrative', and "meaning', on the one hand, and the practice of literature, on the other hand. Typical for the approach are the application of formal logic, conceptual analysis, and rational argument; the focus on detail and distinctions and the orientation to narrowly demarcated problems; the emphasis on objectivity and a view of philosophical problems as timeless; and a respect for clarity. The chapter introduces the main conceptions of the analytic enterprise in aesthetics and exhibits analytic philosophers' work on the theory and ontology of literature, fiction, narrative, interpretation, and cognitive, moral, and emotive dimensions of literature.