A collection that draws out the full implications of Stanley Cavell's writings and ideas for literary studies. It makes clear the relevance of Cavell's ideas for literary criticism.

Arguably no other living philosopher has done as much as Stanley Cavell to show the common cause shared by literature and philosophy. Stanley Cavell and Literary Studies is not only timely but, indeed, long past due. As the discipline of literary studies struggles to move beyond the suspicious skepticisms and anti-humanisms that have dominated the field, but without lapsing into sentimentality and naïveté, Cavell's writings and ideas will only become more pertinent.

Stanley Cavell and Literary Studies: Consequences of Skepticism marks a fruition of the available criticism on Cavell's relation to literary studies. I t conveys the sense of a thorough assimilation of Cavell's project that reflects a deep-and sometimes long-acquaintance with it on the part of many of the contributors. [...] This volume is specialized but accessible, and evinces a real companionship of endeavor without being protective or exclusive. More in the spirit of Cavell's work than to the letter of it, this companionship permits disagreement, divergence of opinion, and even critique. S uch an attitude is a better compliment than reverence, showing both seriousness of engagement and, for some, true intellectual influence. [...] The collection as a whole is a rich exploration of Cavell's relation to literary studies, and a broader statement of belief in the dividends of reading.