Narrative Concerns: Ethical Criticism in Literature, Music, and Film

The wide array of writers, directors, and musicians examined in Narrative Concerns include Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Jean Rhys, John Irving, Norman Maclean, Anthony Burgess, Kurt Vonnegut, James Cameron, Beyoncé, and Mary Oliver. These creators frequently explore our postmodern preoccupation with the void in new and often innovative ways – from their challenging perceptions of the family, humor, and narrative design to their examinations of the past, the power of history, and the redemptive nature of humanity. Davis and Womack read their works to demonstrate a fascinating assortment of literary characters in the act of generating new conceptions of selfhood; underscore how a given text’s construction affects our understanding of the ethically motivated acts of authorship and storytelling; and address the powerful bonds of human community.

By challenging the very nature in which we conduct literary and theoretical studies, ethical criticism thus offers useful forays into a wide range of disciplines, from feminism and gender studies to cultural criticism and the dynamics of race and ethnicity.