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Moral Theory in the Fiction of Isabelle de Charrière: The Case of Three Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Emma Rooksby
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Abstract

Not all those who write philosophy are recognized as philosophers. In this paper I argue that Dutch writer Isabelle de Charrière, usually known as a novelist, is actually engaged in doing moral philosophy. In the second half of the eighteenth century, Charrière wrote novels about characters who endorsed moral theories and commitments. Her novels track the dilemmas that these characters face in trying to live according their moral theories and commitments. I consider the case for treating fiction as philosophically valuable, and argue that Charrière's novels fall into the category of philosophically valuable fiction.

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Type
Research Article
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Hypatia , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , Winter 2005 , pp. 1 - 20
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by Hypatia, Inc.

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