Abstract: The nexus between politics and literature has always been controversial. Yet as critics have noted, the question of the relationship of writers to politics is a modern one. It was not until the end of the eighteenth century that the politics of writers became 'movement' oriented, and prior to this period a writer's political views tended to be seen in narrowly personal or factional terms. The French Revolution formalised divisions between 'right' and 'left', as did the Marxist linking of ideas to the expression of different class interests. Whilst the relationship of the artist to politics is particularly difficult to determine, the legitimacy of attempts to do so is now widely accepted. Today the politics of literature constitutes a legitimate subject for study, even whilst its parameters are necessarily vaguely defined. The relationship between 'creative' writers and politics entails consideration of a diverse range of opinions and attitudes, many of which cannot be neatly correlated with specific labels or positions.
Publication Year: 1989
Publication Date: 1989-10-01
Language: en
Type: article
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