Kantian Dignity and Trolley Problems in the Literature of Richard Wright

Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-3-031-40218-0
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 228 Seiten, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 316 g

Reihe: American Literature Readings in the 21st Century

This book examines the literature of African-American author Richard Wright and the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, arguing that Wright was not only the foremost proponent of minoritarian protest literature, but also a groundbreaking minoritarian exponent of philosophical literature.  In presenting this argument, the volume defends trolley problems from the criticism that some philosophers level against them by promoting their use as an interpretive tool for literary scholars.  Starting with Martha C. Nussbaum’s interventions in literary theory concerning Henry James and perceptive equilibrium, this book draws on the philosophical thoughts of her contemporaries—Philippa Foot, John Rawls, Judith Jarvis Thomson, and Derek Parfit—to analyze  Uncle Tom’s Children , especially “Down by the Riverside,” alongside other works by Wright. This approach emphasizes Wright’s recognition of the importance and integrity of Kant’s concept of dignity.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wainwright, Michael

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Englische Literatur Amerikanische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Westliche Philosophie: Aufklärung
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1 Introduction: Contesting Equilibria: Nussbaum versus Rawls .- Chapter 2 Kantian Dignity .- Chapter 3 Philosophical Literature .- Chapter 4 Trolley Problems .- Chapter 5 Lifeboats .- Chapter 6 Richard Wright’s Travails of Mann .- Chapter 7 Conclusion: Be Reasonable.

Über Autor(innen)

Michael Wainwright  is Honorary Research Associate at the University of London, UK. He is the author of numerous books, including most recently  Faulkner’s Ethics: An Intense Struggle  (2021),  The Rational Shakespeare: Peter Ramus, Edward de Vere, and the Question of Authorship  (2018), and  Game Theory and Postwar American Literature  (2016), all published by Palgrave.