JOURNAL ARTICLE

Literary Phenomenology and the Historicity of the Lifeworld: Personal and Public Crisis in Edmund Husserl and Ian McEwan.

  • Published In: Texas Studies in Literature & Language, 2025, v. 67, n. 1. P. 51 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Tan, Ian 3 of 3

Abstract

This essay argues for the relevance of Edmund Husserl's transcendental phenomenological method as applied to Ian McEwan's presentation of private crisis and public history in his novel Lessons. Both Husserl and McEwan advocate for the judicious use of reason and rational inquiry in the direction of politics and culture. I demonstrate how McEwan's literary representation of consciousness in the context of a life lived amid historical change draws near to a practice of phenomenology, while also probing some difficulties in achieving the neutrality of the transcendental standpoint because of McEwan's complex evocation of memory, repressed desire, and the uncertain image of the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Texas Studies in Literature & Language. 2025/03, Vol. 67, Issue 1, p51
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0040-4691
  • DOI:10.1353/tsl.00004
  • Accession Number:184655851
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Texas Studies in Literature & Language is the property of University of Texas Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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