Reading Human Nature : Literary Darwinism in Theory and Practice

by Carroll, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9781438435220
• ISBN10: 1438435223
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

Showcases the latest developments in literary Darwinism, a powerful approach that integrates evolutionary social science with literary humanism.

Author Biography

Joseph Carroll is Curators' Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and coeditor (with Alice Andrews) of the journal The Evolutionary Review, also published by SUNY Press. His books include Evolution and Literary Theory and Literary Darwinism: Evolution, Human Nature, and Literature. He has produced an edition of On the Origin of Species. He is coeditor (with Brian Boyd and Jonathan Gottschall) of Evolution, Literature, and Film: A Reader.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Adaptationist Literary Theory
An Evolutionary Paradigm for Literary Study, with Two Sequels	p. 3
An Evolutionary Apologia pro Vita Mea	p. 55
A Meta-Review of The Art Instinct	p. 61
Three Scenarios for Literary Darwinism	p. 71
Interpretive Practice
Aestheticism, Homoeroticism, and Christian Guilt in The Picture of Dorian Gray	p. 91
The Cuckoo's History: Human Nature in Wuthering Heights	p. 109
Intentional Meaning in Hamlet: An Evolutionary Perspective	p. 123
Empirical Literary Study: An Experiment in Web-Based Research
Agonistic Structure in Victorian Novels: Doing the Math	p. 151
Quantifying Agonistic Structure in The Mayor of Casterbridge	p. 177
Evolutionary Intellectual History
The Power of Darwin's Vision	p. 197
The Science Wars in a Long View: Putting the Human in Its Place	p. 259
A Darwinian Revolution in the Humanities	p. 271
Notes	p. 279
References	p. 309
Index	p. 333
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