What It Means to Be Human  (English, Paperback, Taro Maeyashiki)

This book, What It Means to Be Human: Moral and Existential Questions in British and American Literature, is a selective anthology of academic articles exploring the wide and complex field of American and British literature from the 17th to the 21st century, their moral, psychological, philosophical and sociological implications, and closer, deeper reading of a rich variety of texts. The common thread that links this wide-ranging exploration of literary questions is the sense that, at its best, literature does not just mirror reality; it ruptures relations, displaces certainties, and wrestles us from complacency in our understanding of justice, love, freedom, and the precarious scaffolding of the self. These fictions never yield clear answers or definitive truths; rather, they leave us in a state of discomfort and uncertainty amid contradiction and moral ambiguity. Moreover, most importantly, they beckon us, always, to hear the thoughts of those seated at the intersection of art and ethics. I hope this volume will be a space for continued thought and dialogue, and a source of inspiration for the readers to return to the literary works to interrogate, resist, remember, and humanize.