Elizabeth Costello (as read in episode earlier)
Book •
J.
M. Coetzee's 'Elizabeth Costello' is a novel composed of a series of linked lectures and encounters in which the eponymous novelist confronts ethical dilemmas, notably the mass slaughter of animals for food.
The book blends fiction, essay and philosophical dialogue to probe conscience, moral imagination and the inadequacy of abstract principles alone to capture moral urgency.
Through Elizabeth's encounters with academics, friends and her own conscience, Coetzee examines how literature and the heart can reveal truths that dry argument cannot.
The narrative foregrounds the tension between intellectual reasoning and heartfelt moral responsiveness, asking readers to consider the role of empathy and suffering in ethical life.
Praised for its intellectual rigor and moral seriousness, the book invites deep reflection on responsibility, guilt and the limits of ethical discourse.
M. Coetzee's 'Elizabeth Costello' is a novel composed of a series of linked lectures and encounters in which the eponymous novelist confronts ethical dilemmas, notably the mass slaughter of animals for food.
The book blends fiction, essay and philosophical dialogue to probe conscience, moral imagination and the inadequacy of abstract principles alone to capture moral urgency.
Through Elizabeth's encounters with academics, friends and her own conscience, Coetzee examines how literature and the heart can reveal truths that dry argument cannot.
The narrative foregrounds the tension between intellectual reasoning and heartfelt moral responsiveness, asking readers to consider the role of empathy and suffering in ethical life.
Praised for its intellectual rigor and moral seriousness, the book invites deep reflection on responsibility, guilt and the limits of ethical discourse.
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