Masterpieces of Philosophical Literature

Some works of philosophy also stand as significant contributions to literature, and some works of literature have profoundly influenced philosophy. Written expressly for high school and college students, this reference insightfully introduces ten widely studied works of philosophical literature. Individual chapters discuss Plato’s Republic, Augustine’s Confessions, Dante’s Divine Comedy, More’s Utopia, Voltaire’s Candide, Goethe’s Faust, Kierkegaard’s Either/Or, Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Huxley’s Brave New World, and Borges’ Labyrinths. An introductory chapter considers such issues as the nature of philosophical literature, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.

Despite Plato’s banning of poets from the ideal community, some works of philosophy also stand as significant contributions to literature, and some works of literature have profoundly influenced philosophy. Such works have the power to challenge, provoke, and move the reader, and they upset complacent assumptions and demand new thinking. They also draw on the resources of language and literature to explore enduring issues. Written expressly for high school and college students, this reference conveniently introduces ten widely studied works of philosophical literature.

Included are individual chapters on:

Augustine’s Confessions

Borges’ Labyrinths.

Dante’s Divine Comedy

Goethe’s Faust

Huxley’s Brave New World

Kierkegaard’s Either/Or

More’s Utopia

Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Plato’s Republic

Voltaire’s Candide

Each overviews the life and career of the author and explores philosophical and literary features of the work. An introductory essay considers the nature of philosophical literature, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.