Drawing on the explosion of academic and public interest in cognitive
science in the past two decades, this volume features articles that
combine literary and cultural analysis with insights from neuroscience,
cognitive evolutionary psychology and anthropology, and cognitive
linguistics. Lisa Zunshine's introduction provides a broad overview of
the field. The essays that follow are organized into four parts that
explore developments in literary universals, cognitive historicism,
cognitive narratology, and cognitive approaches in dialogue with other
theoretical approaches, such as postcolonial studies, ecocriticism,
aesthetics, and poststructuralism. Introduction to Cognitive Cultural
Studies provides readers with grounding in several major areas of
cognitive science, applies insights from cognitive science to cultural
representations, and recognizes the cognitive approach's commitment to
seeking common ground with existing literary-theoretical paradigms. This
book is ideal for graduate courses and seminars devoted to cognitive
approaches to cultural studies and literary criticism. Contributors:
Mary Thomas Crane, Nancy Easterlin, David Herman, Patrick Colm Hogan,
Bruce McConachie, Alan Palmer, Alan Richardson, Ellen Spolsky, G.
Gabrielle Starr, Blakey Vermeule, Lisa Zunshine
