Evolution, Literature, and Film: A Reader [Paperback]

Brian Boyd (Editor), Joseph Carroll (Editor), Jonathan Gottschall (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2010

Featuring thirty-nine essential essays by pioneering scholars, scientists, and critics, Evolution, Literature, and Film opens with an introduction to the principles of evolution, with essays from Charles Darwin on the logic of natural selection, Richard Dawkins on the genetic revolution of modern evolutionary theory, Edward O. Wilson on the unity of knowledge, Steven Pinker on the transformation of psychology into an explanatory science, and David Sloan Wilson on the integration of evolutionary theory into cultural critique. Later sections include essays on the adaptive function of the arts, discussions of evolutionary literary theory and film theory, interpretive commentaries on specific works of literature and film, and analyses using empirical methods to explore literary problems. Texts under the microscope include folk- and fairy tales; Homer's Iliad; Shakespeare's plays; works by William Wordsworth, Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, and Zora Neale Hurston; narratives in sci-fi, comics, and slash fiction; and films from Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. Each essay explains the contribution of evolution to a study of the human mind, human behavior, culture, and art.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Reader argues for a new paradigm within the humanities: bio-culturalism, that is, cultural studies firmly based on biological evidence. Torben Grodal, University of Copenhagen

This book is ideally suited for the generation of students who will have the opportunity to put up the next round of bridges, and instructors can rest assured that this volume provides a galvanizing set of blueprints. It is, in short, the state-of-the-art. Tim Horvath, Evolution and Human Behavior

A first-rate contribution to the field... Recommended.

(Choice)

Review

Original and unique—there is almost by default no collection like it at present. The field of evolutionary literary studies is coalescing as I write, and the publication of this book will have a decisive and positive impact in this regard.

(Peter Swirski, author of Literature, Analytically Speaking: Explorations in the Theory of Interpretation, Analytic Aesthetics, and Evolution)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 584 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (June 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231150199
• ISBN-13: 978-0231150194
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Primer for Evo Cog Lit Crit Novices May 27, 2011

By J. Maceachern

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was excited to get the ELF reader in the mail, but upon reading it I was dismayed to find that I already own most of the books and articles it excerpts. Most of these are excellent, however. I highly recommend this book, but scholars and readers who have already been following evolutionary approaches to literature closely might want to look at the table of contents before paying the cover price.