Progress in Literary Study

Abstract

Literary study, along with other social sciences, has been thought by many to be incapable of progress because it, like the other social sciences, is culturally defined. The aims and standards of literary study always depend on the value assumptions and preconceptions of the culture which fosters literary study—for literary study is a social institution. Because literary study and other social sciences are social institutions, obvious difficulties arise with transplanting the aims and standards of social science in one society into another society. The idea of progress, however, appears to demand that we have aims and standards which apply independently of particular social contexts, and independently of the boundaries of a culture or an age. Thus the cultural definition of literary study has sometimes been thought to prevent progress in this field.Max Weber proposed a strategy for working toward objective knowledge and progress in the social sciences generally, which can be applied to literary study.