A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Literature, Testimony, and Regimes of Truth
Authors: Davis Colin, Meretoja Hanna
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Publication year: 2022
Journal: Comparative Literature Studies
Journal name in source: Comparative Literature Studies
Volume: 59
Issue: 2
First page : 271
Last page: 291
eISSN: 1528-4212
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5325/complitstudies.59.2.0271
Web address : https://doi.org/10.5325/complitstudies.59.2.0271
In the “post-truth” world, it seems possible to say anything we want. Drawing on examples from Holocaust testimony and fiction, this article argues that truth is nevertheless a central issue for readers, critics, and citizens, even if it is complex, difficult to grasp, and ethically fraught. It suggests that rather than retreating into a simple notion of truth, we need more refined vocabularies for talking about issues of truth. The article explores the relationship between literature and truth by outlining three different but interrelated regimes of truth: truth as correspondence, as disclosure, and as interpretative dialogue.