THE ETHICS OF (IN-) ATTENTION IN CONTEMPORARY ANGLOPHONE NARRATIVE

Abstract

This review examines The Ethics of (In-)Attention in Contemporary Anglophone Narrative, edited by Jean-Michel Ganteau and Susana Onega, a timely anthology that interrogates how contemporary fiction engages with the ethics of attention and inattention in an era dominated by distraction. The volume’s contributors analyze Anglophone narratives across diverse contexts—historical, ecological, political, and cultural—highlighting how literature brings neglected, silenced, or marginalized realities into focus. Divided into four parts, the collection explores theoretical frameworks, overlooked histories, the dynamics of attentional economies, and ecological ethics. While the book is ambitious in scope, its greatest strength lies in showing how fiction not only represents but also performs ethical attention, urging readers to cultivate a more responsible and responsive mode of perception. This review outlines the major contributions of the volume while assessing its significance and limitations.