Gibson - Postmodernity, Ethics and the Novel: From Leavis to Levinas

Until the late 1960s, a concern with the morality of fiction was central to Anglo-American theory and criticism of the novel. In recent years, however, there has been a marked decline in this tradition, for which the rise of literary theory has often been blamed.

In this accessible and ground-breaking study, Andrew Gibson resists the latter accusation. Taking the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas as a starting point, he draws on a range of contemporary theorists to argue that an ethics of fiction is currently emerging out of literary theory itself.

Postmodernity, Ethics and the Novel presents a lucid account of complex philosophy and contemporary theory. It explores Levinass thought in detail, provides an extensive discussion of its implications for the study of the novel, and illustrates its case with reference to a wide range of modern and postmodern fiction, including work by Joseph Conrad, Henry James, Elizabeth Bowen, Samuel Beckett, Marcel Proust, Jean Rhys and Salman Rushdie.

Postmodernity, Ethics and the Novel is an essential study for anyone concerned with the ethical significance of reading today.

Andrew Gibson is Professor of Modern Literature and Theory and Director of the MA in Postmodernism, Literature and Contemporary Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London.

To Robert and Gerlinde

First published 1999
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2001.

1999 Andrew Gibson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Gibson, Andrew
Postmodernity, ethics, and the novel / Andrew Gibson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. English fiction 20th century History and criticism Theory, etc. 2. Postmodernism (Literature) 3. American fiction 20th century History and criticism Theory, etc. 4. French fiction 20th century History and criticism Theory, etc. 5. Didactic fiction History and criticism Theory, etc. 6. Criticism History 20th century. 7. Ethics in literature.
I. Title.
PR888.P69G53 1999
809'.93353 dc219851149

ISBN 0-415-19895-X (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-19896-8 (pbk)
ISBN 0-203-00718-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-17385-6 (Glassbook Format)