Alan H. Goldman presents an original and lucid
account of the relationship between philosophy and the
novel. In the first part, on philosophy of novels, he
defends theories of literary value and interpretation.
Literary value, the value of literary works as such, is
a species of aesthetic value. Goldman argues that works
have aesthetic value when they simultaneously engage all
our mental capacities: perceptual, cognitive,
imaginative, and emotional. This view contrasts with now
prevalent narrower formalist views of literary value.
According to it, cognitive engagement with novels
includes appreciation of their broad themes and the
theses these imply, often moral and hence philosophical
theses, which are therefore part of the novels' literary
value. Interpretation explains elements of works so as
to allow readers maximum appreciation, so as to maximize
the literary value of the texts as written. Once more,
Goldman's view contrasts with narrower views of literary
interpretation, especially those which limit it to
uncovering what authors intended. One implication of
Goldman's broader view is the possibility of
incompatible but equally acceptable interpretations,
which he explores through a discussion of rival
interpretations of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also
Rises. Goldman goes on to test the theory of value by
explaining the immense appeal of good mystery novels in
its terms. The second part of the book, on philosophy in
novels, explores themes relating to moral agency-moral
development, motivation, and disintegration-in Jane
Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Mark Twain's Huckleberry
Finn, John Irving's The Cider House Rules, and Joseph
Conrad's Nostromo. By narrating the course of
characters' lives, including their inner lives, over
extended periods, these novels allow us to vicariously
experience the characters' moral progressions, positive
and negative, to learn in a more focused way moral
truths, as we do from real life experiences.
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