Introduction

Abstract

The introduction gives essential background on critical and philosophical debates about the moral exemplarity of literature. It shows how debates about the use of literary works as examples in moral philosophy have focused on narrative writing while, in the main, ignoring poetry. The chapter introduces the value of bringing lyric poetry into these debates, proposing that reading Seamus Heaney and Geoffrey Hill from the perspective of their preoccupation with moral exemplarity can offer transformative new critical perspectives. Most importantly, it argues for the importance of the concept of exemplarity in the moral thought of both poets.