In an original study, Patrick Colm Hogan brings the insights of global comparative literature to bear on central issues of ethics. A compelling, narrative-based explanation of humans' otherwise baffling array of ethical attitudes, this book also offers a thought-provoking defence of particular ethical norms, based on a re-understanding of empathy.

"Ethics has been a central concern in literature since the earliest works treating the purposes of poetry and stories. Plato famously criticized poets for their inculcation of morally improper inclinations, advocating an extensive state censorship that would enable literature to contribute to the development of ethically upstanding citizens. Plato was not alone. Over the centuries, political and religious figures have sought to control what stories were written or read, in part for moral reasons. In a more liberal vein, the Medieval Muslim literary theorists sought to explain the processes by which literary works could cultivate the Islamic virtues (see Cantarino, Ibn Sinåa, and Ibn Rushd). The close relation between literature and ethics has not always been viewed as involving the guidance of literature by philosophers or theologians. Sometimes, writers did not privilege philosophy over literature, but rather viewed the two as contributing more equally to a program of understanding ethics and behaving morally, and some gave literature a place of particular esteem. Thus, the ancient Sanskrit Nåaòtya âSåastra (roughly, Treatise on Drama) asserts that "drama teaches the path of virtue" (9) and that the study of drama is "conducive to righteousness" (2). More strikingly, Kéongzæi (Confucius) urged his followers to study the Classic of Poetry (Shåijåing), explaining that "The Odes serve to stimulate the mind. They may be used for purposes of self-contemplation"--