Evolution, Literature, and Film

Book excerpt: "Original and uniqueùthere 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 evolution, Literature, And Film opens with 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 essays include discussions of evolutionary literary theory and film theory, interpretive commentaries on 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 Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte, 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. "Extremely well conceived, bringing together classics from the early days and the cutting edge of recent statistical scholarship. The essays are excellent and represent the best work being done right now in the field."-Blakey Vermeule, Stanford University Brian Boyd is University Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Auckland. The world's leading scholar of Vladimir Nabokov, Joseph Carroll is Curators' Professor of English at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Jonathan Gottschall teaches English at Washington and Jefferson College.