false 6378585 1 <p> A century and a half after the publication of <i>Origin of Species,</i> evolutionary thinking has expanded beyond the field of biology to include virtually all human-related subjects—anthropology, archeology, psychology, economics, religion, morality, politics, culture, and art. Now a distinguished scholar offers the first comprehensive account of the evolutionary origins of art and storytelling. Brian Boyd explains why we tell stories, how our minds are shaped to understand them, and what difference an evolutionary understanding of human nature makes to stories we love. </p><p> Art is a specifically human adaptation, Boyd argues. It offers tangible advantages for human survival, and it derives from play, itself an adaptation widespread among more intelligent animals. More particularly, our fondness for storytelling has sharpened social cognition, encouraged cooperation, and fostered creativity. </p><p> After considering art as adaptation, Boyd examines Homer’s <i>Odyssey</i> and Dr. Seuss’s <i>Horton Hears a Who!</i> demonstrating how an evolutionary lens can offer new understanding and appreciation of specific works. What triggers our emotional engagement with these works? What patterns facilitate our responses? The need to hold an audience’s attention, Boyd underscores, is the fundamental problem facing all storytellers. Enduring artists arrive at solutions that appeal to cognitive universals: an insight out of step with contemporary criticism, which obscures both the individual and universal. Published for the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of <i>Origin of Species,</i> Boyd’s study embraces a Darwinian view of human nature and art, and offers a credo for a new humanism. </p> 6566358 15 5 2009 On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction total:4|5:3|4:1| 4 19 58 2 5 0 false false Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 16:40:27 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 09:13:35 -0700 2009 On the Origin of Stories, a colossal treatise on the intersection of literature and cognitive science. Boyd, a prominent Nabokov scholar, dives head-first into the world of evolutionary biology in an effort to understand what it is a...more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat May 30 16:42:19 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 16:45:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 28 14:49:43 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 14:49:49 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 28 09:32:13 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 09:32:13 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 24 20:01:10 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 20:01:10 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 11 22:32:20 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 22:32:20 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 06 14:06:47 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 14:06:47 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Oct 04 11:29:44 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 11:29:44 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Sep 17 15:37:53 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 15:37:53 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 12 17:10:37 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 17:10:42 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 09 09:07:58 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 09:07:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 08 13:33:07 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 13:33:07 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Aug 29 05:19:43 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 05:26:05 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Aug 28 07:16:10 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 07:16:10 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Aug 27 08:58:52 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 08:58:52 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Aug 25 19:03:11 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 19:03:18 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Aug 17 16:16:08 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 16:16:15 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Aug 13 07:35:48 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 07:35:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Aug 04 09:44:38 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 09:44:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jul 29 10:44:51 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 10:44:51 -0700 2009