Cognitive Science, Literature and the Arts: A Guide for Humanists

Description

Cognitive Science, Literature, and the Arts is the first student-friendly introduction to the uses of cognitive science in the study of literature, written specifically for the non-scientist. Patrick Colm Hogan guides the reader through all of the major theories of cognitive science, focusing on those areas that are most important to fostering a new understanding of the production and reception of literature. This accessible volume provides a strong foundation of the basic principles of cognitive science, and allows us to begin to understand how the brain works and makes us feel as we read.

Patrick Colm Hogan is Professor of English and Comparative literature at the University of Connecticut.His many books include The Culture of Conformism, Philosophical Approaches to the Study of Literature, Colonialism and Cultural Identity, and The Politics of Interpretation.

"Cognitive Science, Literature, and the Arts provides a much needed critical introduction to the cognitive study of the verbal, visual, and musical arts, basing its claims on the methods and findings of mainstream cognitive science. Written with authority, verve, and above all clarity, Hogan's exciting new book will prove an indispensable guide for those new to the field and a provocative and challenging overview for those already engaged in cognitive criticism and theory." Alan Richardson, Professor of English, Boston College and author of British Romanticism and the Science of the Mind