Literature as Social Critique: Parenting, Neoliberalism, and Lynn Steger Strong's Want

Abstract: To displace a paradigm within the philosophy of literature that monopolizes attempts to establish a connection between literature and social criticism—such is the aim of this essay. The paradigm is that literature uniquely conveys injustice, thereby complementing thematic reflection. To this purpose, I hope to add to the philosophy of literature's toolbox "eudaemonistic" readings, which explore how economic circumstances occasion unhappiness. My context is neoliberalism, and my example Lynn Steger Strong's Want . Focusing on parenting, privilege, and discovering the limits of nonconformist self-authorship, Want offers a particularly apt demonstration of social criticism untethered to injustice.