Description

• Title:
  Compassion and Literature. Neo-Sentimentalism in Literary Theory
• Creator:
  Płuciennik, Jarosław;
  Holmqvist, Kenneth
• Contributor:
  University of Lodz;
  University of Lund;
  Prof. Jarosław Płuciennik, PhD, Professor Ordinarius of the Humanities, specialising in Literary Studies and Theory of Literature at the Institute of Contemporary Culture, University of Łódź, Poland and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Curricula and Quality Assurance and Enhancement at the University for the period of 2012-2016. Member of the National Council for Development of the Humanities in Poland since 2014. Chief of the Commision for Culture and the Arts of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lodz, Poland since 2015. In 2009-2012, Director of PhD Studies in Language, Literature and Culture at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz, and in 2011-2012 Chairman of the Commission on Quality Assurance at this Faculty. His recent research interests are focused on act of reading, from comparative and cognitive perspective and educational technology (especially iphonology) as well as blended learning, quality of education and the idea of university. He did research in cognitive semiotics and literary culture, especially in tolerance and liberty of conscience. Author of over 80 publications in the field of literary studies, cultural studies and cognitive science. His latest books are "Infinity in Language" with Kenneth Holmqvist from Humanistic Laboratory at Lund University, Sweden and "Literatura, Głupcze! Laboratoria nowoczesnej kultury literackiej" (Kraków, Poland). He has published 6 books in Polish, and co-edited 8 collective books. He is Editor-in-Chief of an international journal called The Problems of Literary Genres. He studied and did research in Lodz (Poland), Lund (Sweden), Cambridge (England), Bolzano (Italy) and Budapest (Hungary). He had guest lectures at Music Academy in Lodz, Warsaw University, Lund University, Sweden, and Seton Hall College, New Jersey, USA. He is a Prom. of several MA theses in Journalism and Communication at the University of Łódź. The National Coordinator of the international educational project iProfesional 2013-2015, and Boys Reading 2014-2017. Project Manager in the projects: the Open University of Lodz, the Creative Univeristy and the iProUŁ in 2014. Coordinator of Students Television at the University of Lodz. Repeatedly award-winning: Rector's, Conference of Rectors of the Highier Ecuation Institutions in Lodz as well as the Polish Academy of Science's awards, the Medal of Ministry of Eduaction (KEN 2011) and the Gold Medal of the University of Lodz (2012).;
  jaroslaw.pluciennik@uni.lodz.pl
• Description:
  This version is B-version of the pre-reviewed article appeared in the journal Problems of Literary Genres/ Zagadnienia Rodzajów Literackich 48 (95-96), 2005:1-2.;
  In our paper, we present a review of recent developments in literary theory especially in the theory by Martha Nussbaum focusing on a role of compassion in literary studies. Our main thesis is that neo-sentimentalism is visible in three areas of Martha Nussbaum’s thought: first, in her views of emotions (she try to persuade readers that this stance is neo-stoicism, but it should be properly called neo-sentimentalism); secondly, in her theory of the literary genres, in which she represents the anti-formalist turn in literary studies; thirdly, in her theory of compassion and love in the reception of literature, in ethics and in social thinking. In order to characterise Martha Nussbaum’s literary theory, we try to summarise the motive of empathy occurring in 18th century sentimentalism and in many forms of the later aesthetic sentimentality. We interpret so called ethical criticism (involving, besides Martha Nussbaum, Stanley Cavell, Wayne Booth, Martin Price) as a political movement using, as its rhetorical device, reference to sentimental motives of absolute empathy (G. Lakoff and M. Johnson’s concept). We also argue that in the current era we should abandon an ideal of apolitical criticism and theory of literature. Literary scholarship has many ethical and, subsequently, political dimensions and empathy is a basic term in literary studies which associates itself with other sociological and political issues. But recent developments in cognitive science make us to treat empathy as a basic term of understanding human behaviours and language, so the neo-sentimentalism has a solid grounds in science.
• Object availability:
  free access
• Rights:
  Uznanie autorstwa-Użycie niekomercyjne-Bez utworów zależnych 3.0 Polska;
  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/pl
• Date:
  2015.03.09;
  2005.12.31
• Type:
  Article
• Language:
  English
• Format:
  application/msword
• Publisher:
  Łódzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe
• Relation:
  Zagadnienia Rodzajów Literackich;T. 48, 2005 nr 1/2
• Subject:
  Martha Nussbaum;
  neo-sentimentalism;
  emotions in literature;
  theory of literature;
  poetics
• Identifier:
  0084-4446;
  http://hdl.handle.net/11089/7124
• Data provider:
  Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Can I use it?:
  check license
• Type:
  image