Roman Ingarden’s Analysis of the Concepts of Truth in Literature

Abstract

We can learn much from literature. This is generally admitted, although there are some who deny it. The question is not if we can learn something from it, but whether or not what we learn, in addition to the skills we may gain from reading, is reliable, truthful and trustworthy information. Are the judgments made in literature true judgments, that is, verifiable and applicable to our world and life? The question is whether or not literature gives us true knowledge. The same question can be made in relation to Art in general, but here we consider only the Literary Art.