Karl Popper and Literary Theory: Critical Rationalism as a Philosophy of Literature by Thomas Trzyna (review)

Thomas Trzyna's latest book represents the first comprehensive attempt to apply the interdisciplinary theories of the philosopher of science Karl Popper to literary analysis. In an accessible and cogent fashion, Trzyna persuasively maintains that a Popperian approach to understanding literature "can be used as a teaching tool as well as an interpretive framework for scholars" (3). After outlining what a Popperian framework for reading a complex literary work might encompass in chapters 1 and 2, Trzyna compares Popper's ideas to those of the theorist James Battersby in the following section. In the remaining chapters, Tzryna demonstrates a formidable grasp of world literature, both secular and religious, from various traditions in his proposed Popperian interpretations of Jean Toomer's Karintha, the works of Henry Fielding, J. M. G. Le Clézio's Désert, J. M. Coetzee's The Childhood of Jesus, Shakespeare's Timon of Athens, Jonathan Littell's novel Les Bienveillantes, and the Gospel of Mark. The final chapter that precedes the conclusion entitled "Patrick Modiano and the Bucket: A Note" also briefly explores the 2014 Nobel Laureate in Literature's œuvre from the lens of Popper's bucket theory of the mind. However, as the title of this section unequivocally suggests, this succinct, three-page reflection about Modiano's fiction in the context of Popper's philosophy is not intended to be as exhaustive as his close readings of the aforementioned authors.

Before offering concrete examples that illustrate how Popper's thought enriches our understanding of literature, Trzyna explicitly reveals his motivations for writing this work of criticism. Specifically, the author posits that a literary text presents a series of interrelated problems to be solved by the creation of hypotheses. Similar to how scientists test theories in order to verify the veracity of their claims, Trzyna explains, "What is described here is a heuristic approach, based on the work of Popper and Imre Lakatos, to reading literature. This process includes identifying problem situations in literature and then carrying out a practice of conjecture solutions to these problems, checking those solutions against evidence in the text and contexts, and then moving on to fresh conjectures or hypotheses" (3). According to this vision of what engaging in literary criticism entails, scholars must be active readers who continually speculate throughout the entire reading process using textual evidence to evaluate the validity of their ever-evolving hypotheses. Due to his deep-seated epistemological convictions, Popper contends that knowledge in any discipline including the hard sciences is never definitive. For this reason, "every reading or interpretation must be considered provisional" (15). Highlighting the implications of Popper's conception of knowledge and "truth" for a researcher and in the classroom, Trzyna further clarifies, "This same kind of process is what the scientific community does when it repeats experiments and subjects theories to new kinds of tests. This process is the essence of Popper's (comprehensively) critical rationalism, the unending process of hypothesis formation, hypothesis testing, and refinement of hypotheses" (16). In stark contrast to the notion that there is only one "correct" interpretation of a given text, "an exercise in Popperian criticism" trains students to probe "the possible meanings of specific literary works" (83).

After delving into the basic tenets of the Popperian method of literary analysis, Trzyna explains how the implementation of the philosopher's ideas could enable scholars to overcome many of the limitations and frustrations often associated with postmodern critical theory. In chapter 3, in which he discusses the similarities and differences between Battersby and Popper, Trzyna compellingly implores other researchers to take Popper seriously. In particular, Trzyna argues that the Popperian approach is a viable alternative to the lingering influence of interpretative models revolving around the concept of the "death of the author" that allows us to explore new dimensions. As the author affirms, "authorial intent can be in various degrees recovered" (57). Reiterating Popper and Battersby's position that it is...