Once Upon a Time

Essays in the Philosophy of Literature

By: Peter Kivy, Aaron Meskin

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eText | 7 August 2019 | Edition Number 1

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Once Upon a Time is a collection of essays in the philosophy of literature with two central themes: the significance of story –telling for us and the question of whether the novel, perhaps the art form most closely associated with story-telling, is a legitimate source of human knowledge. Leading philosopher of art Peter Kivy explores why human beings are so enthralled by being told stories and whether story-telling is a significant source of knowledge. Starting with a study of Aristotle's Poetics, Kivy then undertakes a critical discussion of Noel Carroll’s suggestion that our interaction with the artists of the past is a kind of “conversation.” He goes on to defend the thesis that one of the legitimate artistic pleasures we take in novel-reading is the acquiring of knowledge and, furthermore, that the silent reading of a novel is a kind of performance, making the novel one of the performing arts. The volume concludes with a chapter about jokes, and, in particular, whether it is immoral to tell or be amused by an “immoral” joke. This volume of essays is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in literature and the conceptual problems it may raise for philosophers.

Industry Reviews

Kivy (1934–2017) was well known as one of the US's leading writers on aesthetics, especially the philosophy of music and the philosophy of art. But he had other scholarly interests, and this posthumous collection brings together eight previously unpublished essays concerned with a number of different topics in the philosophy of literature, broadly conceived. Together, the essays testify to Kivy’s meticulous approach to aesthetics and philosophy, his subtlety, and his sense of style. Among the topics discussed: Aristotle’s Poetics, the idea of reading as a kind of performance, the allure of storytelling and the deep human need for stories, and the literary aspect of jokes. This last of these is especially intriguing: Is it always wrong to tell an “immoral” joke? Is it always wrong to laugh at such a joke? In discussing these things, Kivy begins with experience and then skillfully draws out the philosophical contours of his subject. His work is refined but down-to-earth. Kivy was an urbane and sophisticated writer of the old school, and he will continue to be missed.

Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty.