I am looking at The Riverside Anthology of Literature, which I find excellent. I wonder why literature is introduced so differently and – I think – so much better than philosophy. In the Riverside Anthology, in poetry, there are for each author a few selections, followed by either a summary statement from the poet or an appreciation from another poet. Sometimes there are treats: for Houseman, the editor includes poems about him and satires of his bleak stuff. For Hopkins, there’s an example of the Anglo-Saxon poetry that inspired him.
What’s striking is the variety and the light touch. It says, “Here are some interesting people about whom you might want to know more.” That kind of introduction is standard in English classes and rare in philosophy classes. Why does one have to wallow in Kant to encounter Kant?
Much could be learned by thinking among disciplines about the project of introducing.