Graphing Jane Austen - (Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance) by J Carroll & J Gottschall & John A Johnson & Daniel J Kruger (Hardcover)
About this item
Highlights
- This book helps to bridge the gap between science and literary scholarship.
- About the Author: Author John A. Johnson: John A. Johnson is professor of psychology at the Pennsylvania State University, DuBois.
- 305 Pages
- Literary Criticism, European
- Series Name: Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance
Description
Book Synopsis
This book helps to bridge the gap between science and literary scholarship. Building on findings in the evolutionary human sciences, the authors construct a model of human nature in order to illuminate the evolved psychology that shapes the organization of characters in nineteenth-century British novels, from Jane Austen to E. M. Forster.Review Quotes
"Graphing Jane Austen shines a spotlight that not only would make C. P. Snow proud but also helps better understand our culture's relationship with constructs like personality, gender, and introversion." - Brainpickings
"In merging literary and evolutionary approaches, this book is certain to bring delight to an evolutionary audience and a combination of interest and consternation to the literary contingent. This is wholly appropriate for a fascinating pioneering work." - Christopher Boehm, Director, The Goodall Research Center, University of Southern California
"[The authors] bring three vital ingredients to this study of nineteenth-century English novels: a love of the novels, a modern understanding of human evolutionary biology, and facility with modern methods of data analysis. The result is a stunning synthesis; many dream of some reconciliation between the sciences and the humanities. [This book] has actually stepped in and started us down that road." - Henry Harpending, professor of Anthropology, University of Utah
'Once every century or so, a paradigm shift erupts in how we perceive literature. Graphing Jane Austen is this century's revolution. It is a masterpiece of creative, synthesizing science that lays the groundwork for an entirely new way of looking at and understanding literature. - Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering, Oakland University and author of Cold-Blooded Kindness and Evil Genes
'This is a strikingly original book, full of surprising insights into human nature and the way novels work.' R. Headlam-Wells, Professor Emeritus, Roehampton University London
About the Author
Author John A. Johnson: John A. Johnson is professor of psychology at the Pennsylvania State University, DuBois. Author Daniel J. Kruger: Daniel J. Kruger is an assistant research professor at the University of Michigan.
