Author

Publication

1997 - Clarendon Press, Oxford, England

Language

English

Word Count

46,500 words, Guess

Page Count

186 pages

Identifiers

and 2 more
  • LibraryThing47472
  • Goodreads3099371

Classifications

  • DDC170
  • LCCBJ46 .M34 1997

Description

Ethics, Evil, and Fiction brings together moral philosophy and literary analysis in a way that offers original new insights for both. Its central aim is to enrich the domain of moral reflection, by showing the value of literary texts as sources of moral illumination. Colin McGinn starts by setting out an uncompromisingly realist ethical theory, arguing that morality is an area of objective truth and genuine knowledge. He goes on to address such subjects as the nature of goodness, evil character, and the meaning of monstrosity, in the context of an aesthetic theory of virtue, which maintains that goodness of character is the same thing as beauty of soul. Works discussed include Billy Budd, Lolita, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Frankenstein; and McGinn draws upon examples from film and painting as well as literature.

Subjects

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