Abstract
Several recent books have claimed to integrate literary study with evolutionary biology. All of the books here considered, except Robert Storey’s, adopt conceptions of evolutionary theory that are in some way marginal to the Darwinian adaptationist program. All the works attempt to connect evolutionary study with various other disciplines or methodologies: for example, with cultural anthropology, cognitive psychology, the psychology of emotion, neurobiology, chaos theory, or structuralist linguistics. No empirical paradigm has yet been established for this field, but important steps have been taken, especially by Storey, in formulating basic principles, identifying appropriate disciplinary connections, and marking out lines of inquiry. Reciprocal efforts are needed from biologists and social scientists.
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For making criticisms that led to revisions in this review, I would like to thank Brett Cooke and Francis Steen. For the stimulation of ongoing conversations on these topics, I would like to acknowledge Ellen Dissanayake and Bob Storey.
Joseph Carroll is a professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has published books on Matthew Arnold and Wallace Stevens. In his most recent book, Evolution and LIterary Theory (1995), he integrates traditional literary concepts with a Darwinian conception of human nature, and he presents this synthesis as an alternative to poststructuralist theories of literature.
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Carroll, J. Literary study and evolutionary theory. Hum Nat 9, 273–292 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-998-1006-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-998-1006-1