Short Stories and Political Philosophy

"Short Stories and Political Philosophy reminds us of the age-old truth that stories are foundational in human life. Through stories we come to understand ourselves -- and our political condition. This book is a gem." -- Susan McWilliams Barndt, Pomona College The use of literature in the discourse of political philosophy has a long and rich tradition. Dolgoy, Hale, and Peabody have added to that tradition in a unique fashion, by putting together and contributing to a remarkable collection of commentaries on short stories by, among others, William Faulkner, Wendell Berry, Ken Liu, and Shirley Jackson. The essays in this collection are wide ranging in thought, superbly related to traditional philosophical texts, and accompanied by excellent pedagogical advice. This volume will send political theorists to the book shelves looking to read the stories and, ultimately, to their classrooms to share what they have discovered. -- Cecil L. Eubanks, Louisiana State University

Erin A. Dolgoy is assistant professor of political science at Rhodes College. Kimberly Hurd Hale is assistant professor of politics at Coastal Carolina University. Bruce Peabody is professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Chapter One: Introduction - Bruce Peabody, Kimberly Hurd Hale, and Erin A. Dolgoy Chapter Two: Big Data for the Good Life: Ken Lius The Perfect Match - Erin A. Dolgoy Chapter Three: Paolo Bacigalupis Pop Squad and the Examined Life Worth Living - Kimberly Hurd Hale Chapter Four: All the Worlds a Cage: Franz Kafka, A Hunger Artist - Timothy McCranor and Steven Michels Chapter Five: Conflicting Moral Goods: William Faulkners Barn Burning - Mary P. Nichols Chapter Six: From the Iron Cage to the Waters of Babylon: Rationalization and Renewal in a Weberian World - Bruce Peabody Chapter Seven: The Terrible Justice of Reality: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas and the Dilemmas of Political Responsibility - Michael Christopher Sardo Chapter Eight: Kinship, Community, and the Bureaucratic State: A Study of Wendell Berrys Fidelity - Drew Kennedy Thompson Chapter Nine: The Incarnation of My Native Land: Clover Adams in Henry James Pandora - Natalie Fuehrer Taylor Chapter Ten: Jumping at Our Reflection: American Dystopia and Reaction in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Abram Trosky Chapter Eleven: Conclusion - Kimberly Hurd Hale, Bruce Peabody, and Erin A. Dolgoy