Some works of philosophy also stand as significant contributions to literature, and some works of literature have profoundly influenced philosophy. Written expressly for high school and college students, this reference insightfully introduces ten widely studied works of philosophical literature. Individual chapters discuss Plato's Republic, Augustine's Confessions, Dante's Divine Comedy, More's Utopia, Voltaire's Candide, Goethe's Faust, Kierkegaard's Either/Or, Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Huxley's Brave New World, and Borges' Labyrinths. An introductory chapter considers such issues as the nature of philosophical literature, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. Despite Plato's banning of poets from the ideal community, some works of philosophy also stand as significant contributions to literature, and some works of literature have profoundly influenced philosophy. Such works have the power to challenge, provoke, and move the reader, and they upset complacent assumptions and demand new thinking. They also draw on the resources of language and literature to explore enduring issues. Written expressly for high school and college students, this reference conveniently introduces ten widely studied works of philosophical literature.

While American and European writers are still central to many countries' school curricula, more and more students and teachers are discovering the great literary works outside the Western tradition. These works grew out of a different set of cultural contexts; thus they are often difficult for students who are unfamiliar with those cultures to understand. At the same time, a careful consideration of these masterpieces helps students understand other cultures and provides a greater understanding of the traditions that have shaped multicultural societies. This book introduces school students to 10 masterpieces of non-Western literature.Chapters cover the following works: the ancient Mesopotamian apic Gilgamesh; the Sanskrit Mahabharata; Sundiata, the tale of a legendary king of Mali; the Gitagovinda, a twelfth-century Indian cycle of poems; the Chinese poems of Li Po; The Tale of Genji, by Lady Murasaki, a Japanese work often considered the first novel; the Journey to the West by Wu Ch'eng-en, a classic Chinese work that became the basis for the TV series Monkey; The Conference of Birds by Farid ud-Din 'Attar, a medieval Persian book of poems; the epic Vietnamese poem, The Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du; and the Native Mexican legend Quetzalcoatl. Each chapter discusses the work's historical and cultural background, plot, characters, major themes, and lasting influence. Chapters cite works for further reading, and the book closes with a bibliography.