The Neural Sublime: Cognitive Theories and Romantic Texts

by Alan Richardson

Winner, 2011 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award in Literature and Fine Arts The Neural Sublime brings recent work in cognitive neuroscience to bear on some famously vexed issues in British Romantic studies. In exciting and unprecedented ways, Alan Richardson demonstrates how developments in the neurosciences can transform the study of literary history. Richardson presents six exemplary studies, each exploring a different intersection of Romanticism and the sciences of the mind and brain: the experience of the sublime and the neuroscience of illusion; the Romantic imagination and visual imaging; the figure of apostrophe and linguistic theory; fictional representations of the mind and “theory of mind” theory; depictions of sibling incest and neo-Darwinian theories of mental behavior; and representations of female speech and cognitive developmental psychology. Richardson’s insightful analysis opens fresh perspectives on British Romanticism, pointing scholars to new developments in cognitive literary studies. He combines elements of new historicist analysis with original―and much-needed―models for understanding language, subjectivity, and social behavior. Far from signaling a departure from the prevalent critical approaches of new historicism, Richardson argues, cognitive theory presents an essential complement to them. The Neural Sublime features an array of cognitive and neuroscientific approaches, providing an engaging and readable introduction to the emergent field of cognitive literary studies.

200 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2010

About the author

Alan Richardson grew up in Washington State, backpacking and mountain climbing in the North Cascade and Olympic ranges from a young age. He has taught English and American literature at Boston College for over thirty years and is author or editor of a number of scholarly books. A Zen Buddhist since the age of 18, he serves as a Dharma Holder in the Boundless Way Zen community and Guiding Teacher for the Sky Flower Zen sangha.. Based in Eastern Massachusetts, he frequently hikes and backpacks in the Taconics, the Berkshires, the Green Mountains, the White Mountains, and the Mahoosucs. His most recent book is Breakfast With Salamanders: Seasons on the Appalachian Trail.


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Renee Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

British Romanticism and Science of the Mind was better. I didn’t necessarily see the Neural Sublime concept carried through each chapter, though his case for cognitive historicism in the intro is poignant and compelling.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great theoretical book that makes you fall in love with the Romanticists all over again, but for a whole new set of reasons. This books plays with perception and the senses and how you, as the reader, interact with the literature you read. I enjoyed it both for its literary and psychological connections.