The Anatomy of Philosophical Style: Literary Philosophy and the Philosophy of Literature

"Literary Philosophy and the Philosophy of Literature" considers the relation between literature and philosophy elucidating the way literary theory and criticism can be applied to the texts of philosophy, and the way philosophical analysis can elucidate many of the central features of "literariness". In the literary study of philosophical writing, such issues are addressed as the identity and function of philosophical genres, the roles of implied author and reader in philosophical texts and the use of figuration and tropes in philosophical discourse. The claim of the importance of the literary analysis of philosophical writing for the reading of philosophy is argued for on the basis of examples from philosophers as diverse as Plato, Leibniz, Kant, Nietzsche, G.E. Moore and in sustained discussion of the work of Descartes.