In what ways does literary study contribute to human knowledge, understanding, and flourishing? This introductory essay emphasizes the importance of an age-old question in the face of the devaluation of the humanities. Cognitive literary studies are well situated to address the ethical and pedagogical functions of literature. Broadly contextualizing the issue’s contributions within literary and cognitive theory, the essay describes their various explorations of reader processing and ethical involvement, including personal, social, and environmental improvement.
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