The Inner Vision: Liberty and Literature

by Edward B. McLean (Editor)

The concepts of liberty and responsibility have been dealt with extensively from the perspectives of economics, political theory, philosophy, and religion. But a special kind of insight into man’s exercise of liberty and acceptance of responsibility is possible through the device of literature. Literature allows one to consider, reflect on, and attempt to understand the meaning of such abstractions as liberty and responsibility by presenting their dramatic unfolding. This way of approaching classic texts offers a way to connect the world of absolute and particulars and to appreciate how they meet and interact in the interiority of human existence. In this collection of essays, prominent scholars explore the themes of liberty and responsibility as they are intertwined in the great works of Twain, Dostoevsky, James, Warren, Johnson, Shakespeare, and others.

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2007