Includes bibliographical references and index.

When facts are run roughshod over in media and politics, and with the planet in peril, of what real use are the realms of language and ideas? The Work of Literature in an Age of Post-Truth is a defense of the role of a humanities and liberal arts education at a time when these traditions can seem quaint or outdated in the face of Twitter threads and viral news. Drawing on experiences in and outside of the classroom, Christopher Schaberg demystifies and expands the scope of oft-invoked quasi-academic chestnuts such as "critical thinking," the uselessness of liberal arts education, and myths of authorship. From studies of contemporary fiction to the roles of ecology and environment in the humanities, this book pauses amid the current dizzying epoch to consider the puzzles and potentials of liberal arts and literary studies in the early 21st century.