Literary Form and Philosophical Thought in Nineteenth‐Century Britain

Abstract

This introduction to the special issue on Philosophy and Literature in Nineteenth‐Century Britain intends to define the fundamental historical and theoretical contexts of the volume. There are three main parts to this contextualization. First, and most substantially, I explore the interests and evolution of philosophical ideas in nineteenth‐century Britain. Whilst giving an overview of the trends and movements in the period, I argue that literature was essential in the dissemination, interrogation and even the constitution of philosophical ideas. Secondly, I sketch the increasing anxieties surrounding ‘philosophy’ in the nineteenth century, and suggest that nineteenth‐century novelists, poets and literary critics participated significantly in rethinking the nature of abstract, systematized philosophical discourse. Thirdly, in framing this discussion, I address why philosophy and literature have been marginalized in nineteenth‐century studies, arguing that the relationship between literature and philosophy is fundamental to our understanding of the period. Looking ahead, I suggest how scholars in nineteenth‐century studies might enter into an interdisciplinary dialogue with philosophical studies of philosophy and literature.