Literature and Consolation: Fictions of Comfort

The study explores how literature provides examples, food for thought, and good companionship in times of grief and pain, drawing on the interlocking histories of literature and consolation in Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Flaubert, Roland Barthes, Denise Riley, and Julian Barnes. It argues that the potential of writing to offer solace has shaped the history of Western literature decisively.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 18 February 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Literature and consolation have been intertwined throughout the interlocking histories of the books two central concepts, providing readers with a unique experience that helps them understand what consolation means and its effects on individual readers. This study explores the premises that underlie the assumption that literary writings can bring comfort and highlights the examples, food for thought, and good companionship that literature provides in times of grief and pain. The intersecting ideas of literature and consolation in Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Flaubert, Roland Barthes, Denise Riley, and Julian Barnes guide today's readers on how literature can offer solace. Taking its cue from the rich history of consolatory thinking, the book shows how writers from different times have explored the potential of their writing to offer solace. The result of these explorations has shaped the history of Western literature decisively.

Weight: 449g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474456562