On the Origin of Stories : Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

By Brian Boyd

Book Overview

Brian Boyd explains why we tell stories and how our minds are shaped to understand them. After considering art as adaptation, Boyd examines Homer's Odyssey and Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who! demonstrating how an evolutionary lens can offer new understanding and appreciation of specific works. Published for the bicentenary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species, Boyd's study embraces a Darwinian view of human nature and art, and offers a credo for a new humanism.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674033574
• ISBN13: 9780674033573
• Release Date: August 1970
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 6.1" x 9.3"