Economics and Literature

The article provides an overview of economic problems through the prism of biography, sociology and history of ideas, and through literary works that examine ideological debates and personal relationships between economists and writers, as well as the spread of ideas about economics or the role of economic activity and entrepreneurship. In the central part of the analysis, the author identifies significant tension that can be observed between alternative approaches to considering man’s actions in literature and economics as they develop in modern culture. Acquaintance with economic thought and literature of the XVIII–XIX centuries makes it possible to show the evolution and convergence of metaphors and images. The themes of finance, money, crises, bankruptcies, and wealth and poverty were given consideration in literary works while a number of literary images, such as Robinson Crusoe or King Lear, began to live their lives in the pages of economic texts. Specific attention in the article is given to primary sources — primarily of the XIX century, and also the most interesting relevant literature on the issues discussed. The comparison of economics and literature, conducted from different points of view, provides a rich field for research that is especially valuable for the historian of economics who is interested in the origin of ideas, their sources and relationship with various areas of knowledge. It provides an opportunity to understand in what historical context and social environment representatives of both directions work, as well as see what intellectual and emotional streams intersect different cultural spaces, involving both writers and readers.

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