The Science of Literature : Essays on an Incalculable Difference

Helmut Müller-Sievers

ISBN 10: 311032394X / ISBN 13: 9783110323948

Published by De Gruyter Apr 2015, 2015

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - One of the most contentious questions in contemporary literary studies is whether there can ever be a science of literature that can lay claim to objectivity and universality, for example by concentrating on philological criticism, by appealing to cognitive science, or by exposing the underlying media of literary communication. The present collection of essays seeks to open up this discussion by posing the question's historical and systematic double: has there been a science of literature, i.e. a mode of presentation and practice of reference in science that owes its coherence to the discourse of literature Detailed analyses of scientific, literary and philosophical texts show that from the late 18th to the late 19th century science and literature were bound to one another through an intricate web of mutual dependence and distinct yet incalculable difference. The Science of Literature suggests that this legacy continues to shape the relation between literary and scientific discourses inside and outside of academia.

Seller Inventory # 9783110323948

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Science of Literature : Essays on an Incalculable Difference
• Publisher: De Gruyter Apr 2015
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 311032394X
• ISBN 13: 9783110323948
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 236W x 160H x 21D millimeters 236 millimeters width by 160 millimeters height by 21 millimeters depth
• Weight: 570 grams

About this title

Synopsis

One of the most contentious questions in contemporary literary studies is whether there can ever be a science of literature that can lay claim to objectivity and universality, for example by concentrating on philological criticism, by appealing to cognitive science, or by exposing the underlying media of literary communication.

The present collection of essays seeks to open up this discussion by posing the question’s historical and systematic double: has there been a science of literature, i.e. a mode of presentation and practice of reference in science that owes its coherence to the discourse of literature? Detailed analyses of scientific, literary and philosophical texts show that from the late 18th to the late 19th century science and literature were bound to one another through an intricate web of mutual dependence and distinct yet incalculable difference. The Science of Literature suggests that this legacy continues to shape the relation between literary and scientific discourses inside and outside of academia.

About the Author

Helmut Müller-Sievers, University of Colorado Boulder, USA.