The Moral of the Story: Literature and Public EthicsHenry T. Edmondson The contributors to The Moral of the Story, all preeminent political theorists, are unified by their concern with the instructive power of great literature. This thought-provoking combination of essays explores the polyvalent moral and political impact of classic world literatures on public ethics through the study of some of its major figures-including Shakespeare, Dante, Cervantes, Jane Austen, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Robert Penn Warren, and Dostoevsky. Positing the uniqueness of literature's ability to promote dialogue on salient moral and intellectual virtues, editor Henry T. Edmonson III has culled together a wide-ranging exploration of such fundamental concerns as the abuse of authority, the nature of good leadership, the significance of "middle class virtues" and the needs of adolescents. This collection reinvigorates the study of classic literature as an endeavor that is not only personally intellectually satisfying, but also an inimitable and unique way to enrich public discourse. |
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Page 61
... leader as he se- quentially reveals each dimension of his character , or his " many - sidedness " as one commentator describes it . " The Shakespearean Henry is a statesman : he is a leader governed by his integrity ; a leader for whom ...
... leader as he se- quentially reveals each dimension of his character , or his " many - sidedness " as one commentator describes it . " The Shakespearean Henry is a statesman : he is a leader governed by his integrity ; a leader for whom ...
Page 66
... leader . As the soldiers exit the scene , the King is reduced to the despair and anguish that leaders experience if they appreciate the moral burden they carry . " We must bear all , " he laments ( IV : I : 205 ) . He complains , also ...
... leader . As the soldiers exit the scene , the King is reduced to the despair and anguish that leaders experience if they appreciate the moral burden they carry . " We must bear all , " he laments ( IV : I : 205 ) . He complains , also ...
Page 71
... leader.39 40 The eve of battle also suggests that if a leader genuinely wishes to gain a needful perspective on his role as leader , he needs the frank opinion of his sub- ordinates . This is perhaps the hardest of all to achieve ; only ...
... leader.39 40 The eve of battle also suggests that if a leader genuinely wishes to gain a needful perspective on his role as leader , he needs the frank opinion of his sub- ordinates . This is perhaps the hardest of all to achieve ; only ...
Contents
Revolution | 15 |
The Teachings of Francesca | 27 |
Aliens Are Us? Walker Percys Response to Carl Sagan | 43 |
Copyright | |
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Achebe Achebe's African American Aristotle Austen authority believe C. S. Lewis Carl Sagan Cervantes chapter character Chinua Achebe Christian classical Conrad conventional right cosmos culture Dante Dante's democracy democratic divine Dutourd equality essay ethical evil extraterrestrial father Flannery O'Connor Francesca French Grandgousier great-souled individual Hank Henry Henry's human Hyacinth ideal Igbo Inquisitor irony Jane Austen Jean Dutourd Jefferson Jessup Joseph Conrad justice king leader Ledue Leggatt liberal literary literature live Longer at Ease magnanimity Mary Grace means modern Monipodio moral mystery never novel O'Connor Okonkwo Paolo Pascal peasant Percy philosophical Picrochole Plato poem political pride Princess Casamassima Rabelais reading regime revolution Rinconete Russian Sagan seems sense Shad Shakespeare Sinclair Lewis social society Solzhenitsyn soul statesmanship Stolypin storm story teaches tells tion Tocqueville traditional tragedy truth Turpin Twain Umuofia understand University Press virtue Willa Cather wonder writes York young captain