Philosophy and Literary Theory: A Reflection on Philosophy's Different Contributions to Literary Theory

In our times, the relationship between philosophy and literary theory has been addressed in a variety of different ways. This paper aims to demonstrate in an a posteriori manner how philosophy contributes to literary theory. In doing so, it stands in direct opposition to Rorty’s pragmatic conception of the relationship between these two fields of human knowledge. Philosophy, it is argued, can make at least four contributions to literary theory and the paper is accordingly divided into four parts: (1) It clarifies the ontological status of the literary work, (2) It helps us see the problem of discovering the author’s intention in a new light by questioning our Cartesian presuppositions concerning the relationship between mind and body, (3) It clarifies the philosophical roots of modern literary theory by putting these theories in their proper philosophical context and finally (4) It paves the way for a critique of the modern relativism and constructivism inherent in modern literary theory. The paper thus ends by showing that if one accepts the possible ways in which philosophy contributes to literary theory and especially finds the critique launched against constructivism in part four plausible, then one has every reason to remain doubtful about Rorty’s view of the subject.