The imagination of freedom : critical texts and times in contemporary liberalism

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Title:

Author:

Foley, Andrew, 1961-

ISBN:

9781868144921

Personal Author:

Foley, Andrew, 1961-

Publication Information:

Johannesburg : Wits University Press, 2009.

Physical Description:

ix, 315 p. ; 22 cm.

Contents:

Introduction : liberal politics and liberal literature -- 'To stab a country in the conscience' : Alan Paton's Cry, the beloved country (1948) -- When worlds collide : Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart (1958) -- Allegories of freedom : Ken Kesey's One flew over the cuckoo's nest (1962) -- 'Befitting emblems of adversity' : Seamus Heaney's Bog Poems (1972-1975) -- Patriarchy, autonomy and liberal feminism : Fay Weldon's Praxis (1978) -- Violence, reconciliation and the ending of apartheid : Athol Fugard's drama (1984-1992) -- Power, will and freedom : Mario Vargas Llosa's The feast of the goat (2000) -- Postmodern liberal literature : Richard Rorty's 'liberal ironists' (1961-2006) -- Liberalism in the new millennium : Ian McEwan's Saturday (2005).

Subject Term:

English literature -- Political aspects.

Liberalism in literature.

Politics and literature.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025431095	820.93582 F663.I 2009	1	Searching... Unknown
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025432895	820.93582 F663.I 2009	2	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The political history of humankind in modern times can be characterised essentially as the struggle for freedom. Concomitantly, much of the most significant contemporary literature has concerned itself with the idea of human freedom. In ""The Imagination of Freedom"", Andrew Foley explores the work of a number of writers who have responded, from a liberal viewpoint, to critical moments in contemporary political history when such freedom has come under severe threat. These writers have used the power of the creative imagination to provide a critique of the illiberal practices of their times and to reassert an alternative vision of a free and open society, founded upon the ideals of individual liberty and social justice. ""The Imagination of Freedom"" thus refers both to the writers' critically independent analyses of the wrongs of their social contexts, as well as to their ability to imagine and describe a more just and equitable social order. Foley presents a detailed, contextualised discussion of the work of Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, Ken Kesey, Seamus Heaney, Fay Weldon, Athol Fugard, Mario Vargas Llosa, Ian McEwan and others, in order to pursue three interrelated aims: to reassess the significance of the work of these writers from a contemporary perspective; to clarify their political vision as liberal writers; and, more generally to develop a case for liberalism as a coherent and compelling political philosophy. Among the works that are discussed in ""The Imagination of Freedom"" are: Alan Paton's ""Cry, the Beloved Country""; Chinua Achebe's ""Things Fall Apart""; Ken Kesey's ""One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest""; Seamus Heaney's ""North""; Fay Weldon's ""Praxis""; Athol Fugard's ""My Children! My Africa!""; Mario Vargas Llosa's ""The Feast of the Goat""; and, Ian McEwan's ""Saturday"".