ABSTRACT
The first chapter of Real Recognition sets the scene for investigating the complexities of literary and social recognition. It outlines the state of the art in recognition theory through accounts of Charles Taylor, Nancy Fraser, and Axel Honneth - noting their differences and internal discussions. In a literary context, the chapter references the work of Rita Felski, Terence Cave, and Winfried Fluck as primary sources into the question of what constitutes aesthetic recognition. From Felski, the chapter takes the idea that recognition is not only an internal affair but also a social process that shapes communities, and a concept well worth pursuing against charges of it being related to mechanisms of power and appropriation. In addition, the chapter adds to Fluck’s contribution by pointing to how protagonists do not only search for recognition with the purpose of forming personal coherence and narrative identity. Au contraire, some literary texts represent experiences of self that cannot and perhaps are not meant to lead to the experience of wholeness and meaningfulness often envisioned as the end-goal of recognition struggles.
