Literature and Empathy: The Novel as a Bridge to Understanding Ourselves and Others

Abstract

Literature is a complex phenomenon that is rooted in a specific historical, cultural, and social context. As such, it must be evaluated from a variety of perspectives, both diachronically and synchronically. Literature is a social, communicative, and artistic phenomenon. To understand literature as a whole or individually, it is necessary to consider it from historical, social, philosophical, psychological, anthropological, cultural, educational, and literary perspectives. In other words, it is a transdisciplinary phenomenon that can be approached from the perspectives of ontology, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and semiotics. The social perspective of literature refers to the relationship between literature and society. Literature reflects the reality of a particular historical and cultural period and can be used to express social ideas and values. The communicative expression of literature refers to its ability to transmit information and emotions. Literature is an act of communication that takes place between the author, the text, and the reader. The correlation between literature and art is evident in the use of language to create beauty and aesthetic pleasure. Literature is an art form that uses language to create aesthetic effects.