Mirrors to One Another
Emotion and Value in Jane Austen and David Hume
Published on 30. March 2009
256 pages
978-1-4443-1040-5 (ISBN)
Description
A compelling exploration of the convergence of Jane Austen'sliterary themes and characters with David Hume's views onmorality and human nature.
* Argues that the normative perspectives endorsed in JaneAusten's novels are best characterized in terms of a Humeanapproach, and that the merits of Hume's account of ethical,aesthetic and epistemic virtue are vividly illustrated by Austen'swriting.
* Illustrates how Hume and Austen complement one another, eachproviding a lens that allows us to expand and elaborate on theideas of the other
* Proposes that literature may serve as a thought experiment,articulating hypothetical cases which allow the reader to test hermoral intuitions
* Contributes to ongoing debates on the philosophy of literature,ethics, and emotion
Reviews / Votes
"Dadlez unpacks the major philosophical trends evidentin both Austen and Hume to show that Austen's works wereinfluenced by the intellectual climate resulting from Hume's studies."(Consciousness, Literature and the Arts, December 2009) "Dadlez says explicitly that her argument is intended tobe cumulative: that is, the text reveals the posited relationshipbetween Hume and Austen gradually, through a series of smallerdemonstrations as she moves from topic to topic. This makes herbook an extremely pleasant read for an Austen aficionado....Indeed, that the book's strength lies in the details...suggeststhat it will be of particular value in interdisciplinary contexts:it has the double function of introducing Austen and her literatureto philosophers, and Hume and his moral philosophy to students ofliterature." (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, February 2010)"Dadlez's treatment of moral and other philosophical themesin Austen is subtle and enlightening, and the connections she drawsbetween the great author and Hume are perceptive and convincing.Because of its interdisciplinary breadth and shrewdness about bothliterature and philosophy, this book will speak to a very wideaudience." -A.W. Eaton, University of Illinois at Chicago "This sprightly, affectionate book makes a compelling case thatAusten's novels both endorse a Humean conception of ethical lifeand elicit emotional responses that enact that conception fromreaders." -Rachel Zuckert, Northwestern UniversityMore details
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04/2009
Wiley-Blackwell
€81.96
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04/2009
1st Edition
Wiley
€32.00
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Person
E.M. Dadlez is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Central Oklahoma. She has published in the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, the British Journal of Aesthetics, Philosophy and Literature, and Hume Studies. She is also the author of What's Hecuba to Him? Fictional Events and Actual Emotions (1997).
Content
Preface.
1. How Literature Can Be a Thought Experiment: Alternatives toand Elaborations of Original Accounts.
2. Literary Form and Philosophical Content.
3. Kantian and Artistotelian Accounts of Austen.
4. Hume and Austen on Pleasure, Sentiment, and Virtue.
5. Hume and Austen on Sympathy.
6. Hume's General Point of View and the Novels of JaneAusten.
7. The Useful and the Good in Hume and Austen.
8. Aesthetics and Humean Aesthetic Norms in the Novels of JaneAusten.
9. Hume and Austen on Good People and Good Reasoning.
10. 'Lovers,' 'Friends,' and other EndearingAppellations.
11. Hume and Austen on Pride.
12. Hume and Austen on Jealousy, Envy, Malice and the Principleof Comparison.
13. Indolence and Industry in Hume and Austen.
14. What Hume's Philosophy Contributes to OurUnderstanding of Austen's Fiction; What Austen'sFiction Contributes to Our Understanding of Hume'sPhilosophy
