The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy

November 15, 2011

In this excellent and timely addition to the series, Bronson (humanities, York Univ., Toronto) pulls together 18 international scholars and writers who examine both Stieg Larsson's novels and the movies based on them. Main characters Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist each receive a section devoted to essays on identity politics, feminist dimensions in culture, and other salient and philosophical concerns they personify. Larsson is treated in a third section of essays, with the final two sections taking on secrets and ethics. Contributors include Karen Adkins (philosophy, Regis Coll.), Ester Pollack (journalism, Stockholm Univ.), Andrew Terjesen, who has contributed to other volumes in the series, and James E. Mahon (philosophy & law, Washington and Lee Univ.). They take up such specific considerations as Lisbeth's sexual identity, Mikael's investigatory methodology, and the ethical nature of social institutions; of course, each essay suggests philosophical assertions that can be and are argued against as well as for, making for a heady and welcome whole. You'll learn how Aristotle and Kant--among others--can be illuminated through the "Millennium Trilogy." VERDICT This volume belongs in both popular and scholarly collections. [The book is not an officially licensed product of the Larsson books or the movies.--Ed.]--Francisca Goldsmith, Infopeople Project, Berkeley, CA

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.