Politics and Literature?
| Author | Maureen Whitebrook |
| Date | 01 February 1995 |
| Published date | 01 February 1995 |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9256.1995.tb00021.x |
| Subject Matter | State of the Art |
Politics
(1995)
15(1)
pp.
55-62
Politics
and
Literature?
Maureen
Whitebrook
mat are the possibilities
of
connection
between politics and literature? How have
those possibilities been developed?
Wby
should
students
of
politics turn to literature as
a
source of political understanding?
Con
nec-
tions have traditionally been made in terms
of
literature as illustration
or
example
for
politics
or
as
a
form
of
moral education.
Other possibilities are a ;bolitical sociology
of
literature’
or
literature as a prima
y
source
for
political studies.
Work
in the United States
suggests further extensions. The case for >oh-
tics and literature’
is
also strengthened by
recent developments
in
political the0
y
such
as
the interest in ‘identity’
or
narrative:
Many students
of
politics will have heard pas-
sing references
to
works
of
literature in lec-
tures or noticed those
texts
in politics
reading
lists.
The connection
of
politics and
literature has a long history
-
from Plato
to
Hegel, Marx, Arendt but that tradition has
been largely abandoned
as
disciplinary divi-
sions have multiplied in the twentieth century
-
political
science
distinguished from political
theoy,
and both from philosophy and gen-
eral and literary criticism. However, the ‘rehu-
manisation’
of
the social sciences
in
recent
decades has included frequent calls for
(re)connections between disciplines, and
assertions about the utility
of
connections
between politics and literature.’ Such asser-
tions, and passing references, continue but
recently more developed connections have
been made by and for students
of
politics,
to
the point where ‘politics and literature’ can
be
regarded
as
an integral part
of
the study
of
politics.
The recognition
of
connections between
politics and literature is not,
of
course, con-
fined to the academic discipline
of
politics
-
literary critics, sociologists and philosophers
have also been interested in the interconnec-
tions. Within the limitations
of
this review,
though,
I
concentrate
on
recent work within
political studies. What are the possibilities
of
connection between politics and literature?
How have those possibilities been developed?
And because this is a relatively unfamiliar
approach
to
politics,
I
outline
its
significance
and
potential for the academic discipline of
Politics. Why should students
of
politics turn
to literature as a source
of
political under-
standing?
What
are
the possibilities?
The question
of
what literature has
to
offer
politics
-
a debatable question from Plato
Maureen
Whitebrook,
University
of
Sheffield.
0
Political Studies Association
1995.
Published by
Blackwell
Publishers,
108
Cowley Road, Oxford OX4
UF,
UK
and 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
55
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