Melville among the Philosophers
Afterword by Cornel West Union Theological Seminar Contributions by Troy A. Jollimore CSU Chico, Mark Anderson Belmont University, Edward F. Mooney, Jason M. Wirth Seattle University, Gary Shapiro, Tracy B. Strong Professor of Political Thought and Philosophy, University of Southampton, Marilyn Nissim-Sabat, Kris F. Sealey professor of philosophy, Fairfield University, Eduardo Mendieta Pennsylvania State Univer, David LaRocca Edited by Corey McCall, Tom Nurmi
Publication date:
18 October 2017Length of book:
252 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
235x161mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781498536745
For more than a century readers have found Herman Melville’s writing rich with philosophical ideas, yet there has been relatively little written about what, exactly, is philosophically significant about his work and why philosophers are so attracted to Melville in particular. This volume addresses this silence through a series of essays that: (1) examine various philosophical contexts for Melville’s work, (2) take seriously Melville’s writings as philosophy, and (3) consider how modern philosophers have used Melville and the implications of appropriating Melville for contemporary thought. Melville among the Philosophers is ultimately an intervention across literary studies and philosophy that carves new paths into the work of one of America’s most celebrated authors, a man who continues to enchant and challenge readers well into the twenty-first century.
Melville Among the Philosophers enhanced my love of Melville and my engagement with philosophical questions. The book succeeds in its goal of showing Melville’s philosophical significance. The essays introduced some philosophers unfamiliar to me and will probably do so for most readers. Students of Melville and those interested in the relationship between literature and philosophy will enjoy this book.