Overview
- Applies theories of mindreading to Shakespeare
- Considers disability studies and age studies
- Provides practical methods for scholars, students, and performers
Part of the book series: Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance (CSLP)
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
Cognition, Mindreading, and Shakespeare's Characters brings cognitive science to Shakespeare, applying contemporary theories of mindreading to Shakespeare’s construction of character. Building on the work of the philosopher Alvin Goldman and cognitive literary critics such as Bruce McConachie and Lisa Zunshine, Nicholas Helms uses the language of mindreading to analyze inference and imagination throughout Shakespeare’s plays, dwelling at length on misread minds in King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare manipulates the mechanics of misreading to cultivate an early modern audience of adept mindreaders, an audience that continues to contemplate the moral ramifications of Shakespeare’s characters even after leaving the playhouse. Using this cognitive literary approach, Helms reveals how misreading fuels Shakespeare’s enduring popular appeal and investigates the ways in which Shakespeare’s characters can both corroborate and challenge contemporary cognitive theories of the human mind.
Reviews
“Cognition, Mindreading, and Shakespeare’s Characters brilliantly brings together sensitive and critical accounts of research in the contemporary cognitive sciences; deft close readings of Shakespeare’s plays; and a fresh approach to character criticism. Helms breaks new ground in the field; his emphasis upon misreadings and other forms of error both draws upon and critiques cognitive theories of mind, resulting in an interdisciplinary study that is genuinely bi-directional.” (Evelyn Tribble, Professor of English, University of Connecticut, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Nicholas R. Helms is Instructor of English at the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies at The University of Alabama, USA. His research applies cognitive science to early modern drama and poetry. He also acts as artistic director of the Improbable Fictions staged reading series.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Cognition, Mindreading, and Shakespeare's Characters
Authors: Nicholas R. Helms
Series Title: Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03565-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-03564-8Published: 06 February 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-03565-5Published: 16 January 2019
Series ISSN: 2945-7297
Series E-ISSN: 2945-7300
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: X, 229
Topics: Shakespeare, Literary Theory, Cognitive Psychology