Moral upbringing through arts and literature

Mark Twain, the great American writer of the South whose characters struggle with difficult choices, famously said: 'Always do what is right.

It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other'.

Taking Twain's phrase as a starting point, this book considers how literature and art explore different systems of values and principles of conduct, and how they can teach us to cope at times of trial.

Morality remains one of the most contested areas of thought and ethics in the modern world, due to numerous misapprehensions and the move away from solidarity, from what we share and hold in common, particularly our inherent pursuit of virtue and consideration of principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong, good and bad.