Cognitive science, literature, and the arts : a guide for humanists / Patrick Colm Hogan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hogan, Patrick Colm.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychology in literature.

Psychology in art.

Cognitive science.

Literature--History and criticism.

Literature.

Physical Description:

244 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Guide for humanists

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2003.

Summary:

In the last two decades, fields from anthropology to zoology have been swept by "the cognitive revolution." In recent years, this revolution has begun to enter the study of literature and the arts as well.

Cognitive Science, Literature, and the Arts is the first general introduction to this exciting new field, written specifically for the non-scientist. In this book, Patrick Colm Hogan presents a lucid account of the major cognitive theories, focusing on those areas that are most important to fostering a new understanding of the production and reception of literature, as well as film, music, and art. Specifically, he explores the cognitive processing of music, the nature of creativity, the operation of metaphor, the resonance of narrative structure, and how the brain works and makes us feel as we read. Hogan illustrates these theories with detailed discussions of works by Shakespeare, Shelley, John Coltrane, and Picasso, as well as the popular film, Titanic.

This groundbreaking volume gives the reader access to the basic principles of cognitive science, and guides the reader through fascinating new research into the mind that is transforming our understanding of literature, film, music, and the visual arts.

Contents:

Introduction. The Dustheap of History: Why Cognitive Science Now? 1

Chapter 1. "My Favorite Things": Thinking Jazz 7

Chapter 2. Is It Cognitive Science Yet? Some Basic Principles 29

Chapter 3. The Author: Maestros and Geniuses 59

Chapter 4. The Text (I): Where the Metaphors Are 87

Chapter 5. The Text (II): Narrative, or Getting the Story Straight 115

Chapter 6. The Reader: How Literature Makes Us Feel 140

Chapter 7. From Mind to Matter: Art, Empathy, and the Brain 166

Chapter 8. The Evolutionary Turn: Blindness and Insight in the Explanation of Art and Mind 191.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [227]-233) and index.

ISBN:

0415942446

0415942454

OCLC:

52396566