Creativity and Contingency in Literary Writing

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The first book to investigate, analyze and theorize the creative processes of literary writers, Creativity and Contingency in Literary Writing uses author interviews, manuscript genetics and textual evidence to explore creativity from the authorial perspective.

Studying an authors practice, literary form and contextual contingencies as elements that affect literary creativity, Karin Kukkoken develops theoretical models for examining the age-old problem of artistic creation and how it has been put to works by authors from the nineteenth century to the age of digital fiction, across a range of languages. With insights from the cognitive sciences, anthropology and philosophy of mind as well as literary studies, the book calls upon interviews with Siri Hustvedt, Marina Warner, Anne Weber, Camille Laurens, Gwenalle Aubry, Kate Pullinger, Gunnhild yehaug, Maria Stepanova and Gyrgy Dragomn and studies the manuscripts of Charlotte Bront, Cora Sandel, Elsa Morante and Italo Calvino.
Overcoming the traditional distinction between creative agent, process and creative product, Creativity and Contingency in Literary Writing is as accessible and illuminating as it is important to understandings of human creativity.

Reviews

Creativity and Contingency in Literary Writing offers an engaging and insightful exploration of literary creativity, showing how authorial practice, literary form, and contingency combine in the making of literature. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in how great literature comes to life. * Ana Margarida Abrantes, Universidade Catlica Portuguesa, Portugal *

Author Bio

Karin Kukkonen is Professor in Comparative Literature at the University of Oslo, Norway. She has published several monographs, including Probability Designs (2020). Having previously held positions in Finland and the UK, she now leads the interdisciplinary centre LCE Literature, Cognition and Emotions, where she established the LCE podcast which explores how literature shapes thoughts and feelings.