Moral/Philosophical Apprroach

What is Moral/Philosophical Approach?

• is defined as an approoach that suggests that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical questions.

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• this approach focuses on what is beng taught.
• it answers the question "What kind of truth does this work reveal t us?"
• this approach empowers us through its methoods and substance refllect upon talk about challenging moral issues.

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• has the longest history and critics believe that the importance of literature lies not just in how the message is conveyed but in the message itself as well.
• Some practitioners of the moral/philosophical approach inludes Matthew Arnolds, Plato, Aristotle, and Horrace.

Matthew Arnolds

• He suggested that the most important thing about literature is it's moral and philosophical teaching.
• He insised that great literary must posses "high seriousness" to convey.
• He firmly believed that literature, poetry in particular is n important sure of moral, spiritual, inspiration and would one day replace philosophy and religion entirely.

Plato

• He acknowledged literature's power as a teacher by believing that it's capable of corrupting morals and undermining religion.
• He insisted that literature must exhibit both moralism and utilitarianism.
• Moralism = showing tendency to make judgements abt others morality
• Utilitarianism = the doctrine that actions are right iif they benefit the majority.

Horrace and Aristotle

• Both viewed literature as something that is capable of fostering virtue.
• Aristotle believes that literature should be "delightful and instructive".
• Horace clearly dictates the “delight and instruct” rule of poetry. Stressing a “simple and unified” form that is deprived of any “purple patch” and a suitable diction for the subject matter at hand

The Advantages of Moral/Philosophical Approach

• useful in evaluating works which represent moral philosophy
• recognizes that literature can affect readers whether subtly or directly.
• It implies that both the message and the way it is conveyed in a text is important

Disadvantages

• the approach can be too "judgemental"
• some believes that literature should be judged primarily on its artistic merits, not its moral or philosophical approach
• People confuses more on how the work was written and admires that instead of looking for the meaning of the work and askng questions.

Examples:

• The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf by Aesop
• The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• Strega Nona - Tomie dePaola