Consequences of Pragmatism on Literary Studies - On its theory, methodology, and conception of literature

This master's thesis conducts an investigation into what adopting a pragmatist position within literary studies would entail. It examines the consequences of pragmatism on the conception of literature, on literary theory, and it relates this to the methodical considerations of literary studies. The influential pragmatist Richard Rorty is used as its pragmatist exemplar, and his brand of pragmatism, including his views on literature, is used to illustrate matters pertaining to literary studies. It is also used as a basis for extrapolation: combined with a thorough introduction to classical pragmatism this allows the deduction of some general conclusions about what adopting a pragmatist point of view would imply in this context. This thesis finds that literature" is seen as thoroughly contextual and conceived as a conceptual tool. It explains how pragmatism implies a shift in focus from ontological to practical questions and experience, and how this implies a shift from asking what literature is to what it does. The answer to what it does is found to be that it provides us with the means to define our identities both as individuals and as a society, and that it drives our moral progress. The inherent anti-essentialism and anti- foundationalism of pragmatism is seen to not only break completely with traditional perceptions of literary art, but also with common perceptions of what the objective of theorising is, and Rorty's rejection of a general theory of interpretation is used to illuminate this matter. The goal of theory is explained in pragmatist terms as support for intelligent practice, which places theory as a subsequent activity to interpretation and moves the main emphasis to reading; to critical activity as a play of vocabularies. This is seen as a creative activity which will differ depending on purpose, context and individual critic, and as such it is not seen as useful to describe a general method or methodology for the activities of literary studies. The underlying reason for pragmatism, and potentially the ultimate consequence of adopting the key insights of pragmatism, is seen as a change in attitude - an attitude which closely resembles that with which we normally approach literature