(Im)possibilidades para uma epistemologia literária

It has long been a common place in literary studies the idea that literature, through its fictional representations, offers not only distinct experiences through contact with art, but also a significant form of cognitive value. Because of this, it is not uncommon to find recommendations to read classics due to their potential formative value for the human psyche. This is the case, for example, of the Brazilian policy of sentence reduction through study in the prison system, based on the premise of reintegrating the individual into society through literary means. In view of this, the present work aims to provide a brief foray into the discussions on the question of knowledge through literature, within the framework of analytical aesthetics, a philosophical discipline inaugurated in the 18th century. With a qualitative approach, key questions and concepts are articulated in the construction of cognitivist theories, based on readings of authors such as Peter Lamarque, John Gibson, and Gordon Graham. The analysis also considers conceptual challenges proposed by the analytic tradition inherited from Frege, particularly through the publication On sense and reference. The goal is to investigate the ways in which literature provides the reader with distinct perspectives for understanding oneself and the surrounding reality. The article concludes by highlighting an alternative way of epistemic advancement that does not share the investigative methods common to the sciences. It also affirms the need for continuity in the investigation of this question through interdisciplinary dialogue, in order to emphasize the active presence of the reader.