Science meets literature : what Elias Canetti's Auto-da-fé tells us about the human mind and human behavior / Dario Maestripieri.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Maestripieri, Dario, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Canetti, Elias, 1905-1994. Blendung.

Canetti, Elias.

Mind and body in literature.

Human behavior in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vi, 244 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

London : Anthem Press 2019.

Summary:

Elias Canetti’s 1935 novel “Auto-da-Fé” (original German title, “Die Blendung”) has traditionally been difficult to interpret and the author’s intentions in writing it have remained unclear. “Science Meets Literature” argues that “Auto-da-Fé” is a novel about human nature that illustrates the workings of the human mind and some universal aspects of human behavior and human social relationships. Canetti’s insights anticipated later scientific discoveries made by cognitive, social and evolutionary psychology including the existence of “irrational” biases in human cognition (e.g., in perception, beliefs and decision-making); the strengths and limitations of human “theory-of-mind” skills (i.e., our ability to think about other people’s minds and “read” them); the establishment, maintenance and reversal of dominance in social relationships between two individuals; and the role of dehumanization in harmful behavior. Canetti intended to warn against the conviction held by some intellectuals that human nature can be denied, controlled, ignored or dismissed. His approach in “Auto-da-Fé” was an original attempt at the integration of knowledge formation in sciences and humanities. He pointed the way for future successful attempts at the integration of evolution, cognitive science and literature, as well as for the broader integration of sciences and humanities.

Contents:

Why science and literature?

Elias Canetti: a visionary literary genius on a quest to understand human nature

The plot of Auto-da-fé

Auto-da-fé is a novel about human nature

Major themes running through Auto-da-fé

Analysis of part I: a head without a world

Analysis of part II: Headless world

Analysis of part III: The world in the head

Narrative strategies in Auto-da-fé

Consilience, the Canetti way.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Jul 2019).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781785270710

1785270710

9781785270703

1785270702

OCLC:

1504505178