Abstract Though literature may be viewed as a document of human experience, yet there are many philosophical implications of it. Philosophy deals with certain very intractable questions related to our life and experience. The analytic tradition of philosophy with its emphasis upon clarity and precision was inspired by science. But there are certain aspects of philosophy which brings it close to literature : its use of rhetoric, metaphors and thought experiments are examples. We find philosophy in literature and also literature in philosophy. There is also a branch of study called philosophy of literature which investigates the nature of literary interpretation and also the presuppositions and foundations of literature. The Platonic view that literature is mere imitation of imitation is unsubstantiated. Here representation goes beyond the particular. The ‘representation’ is here that of the essences, which explains the universal appeal of literature.