Essays in Literary Aesthetics

The book deals with philosophical issues concerning the understanding of the literary text and its distinctive nature, meaning, and relevance to life. It also provides an occasion to revisit many of the seminal ideas towards these ends by contextualizing them in the current ongoing philosophical discourse on art, in general, and literary art, in particular.  Some of the questions addressed in this book are:  What is a literary text? What do we understand by the concept of intention in the context of literary arts? Are the feelings experienced in a literary text real?  What then is the sense of “truth” in literature which is fictional in character? What relevance do moral concerns and perceptions have in appreciation of the literary text? These are some of the seminal questions that are dealt with by critically responding to views of contemporary thinkers. In short, the book makes an attempt to provide a critical overview of contemporary debates and discussionsof literary aesthetics mainly from a Western analytical perspective. The author argues that understanding a literary text is not a purely cognitive exercise; on the contrary, we experience aesthetic meaning or truth in terms of valuable insights that play a role in our understanding of life and emotions. This book is useful for scholars, researchers and students of philosophy and literature interested in aesthetics.

Chapter 1. Providing the Context.- Chapter 2. The Literary Text: Meaning and Intention.- Chapter 3. Emotions in Art.- Chapter 4. Literature and Life.- Chapter 5.  Metaphor and Meaning.- Chapter 6. The Literary Narrative and Moral Values.

Ranjan K. Ghosh, Ph.D, was till recently Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), and he previously taught philosophy at the University of Delhi and North Bengal University, West Bengal, where he also served as Head, Department of Philosophy. He also worked as Senior Research Scientist-C (UGC) at Delhi University. He was sometime Director, ICPR. He has held the position of Visiting Professor at Hyderabad Central University and College of Art, New Delhi. He has published several books and research articles in peer-refereed journals including the British Journal of Aesthetics, and the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. Professor Ghosh is the current Managing Editor of the Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research (JICPR). An artist, and art critic, he writes regularly on art and aesthetics in popular art magazines and journals, and is based in New Delhi.