The idea of this book followed from the International conference on "Persisting Souls" which we organized in 2018 at the Institut catholique de Paris with the LARCA centre de recherche of the Université Paris Cité. Several contributions analyze the evolution of literary and artistic representations of the soul, exploring its development through different time periods.
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The volume combines literary, aesthetic, ethical, and political considerations of the soul in texts and works of art from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries, spanning cultures and schools of thought. Drawing on philosophical, religious and psychological theories of the soul, it emphasizes the far-reaching and enduring epistemological function of the concept in literature, art and politics. The authors argue that the concept of the soul has shaped the understanding of human life and persistently irrigated cultural productions. They show how the concept of soul was explored and redefined by writers and artists, remaining relevant even as it became removed from its ancient or Christian origins.
