American Classics: Evolutionary Perspectives (Evolution, Cognition, and the Arts)

Author: Judith P. SaundersPublisher: Academic Studies PressPaperback:ISBN 10: 1618117661ISBN 13: 978-1618117663Hardcover:ISBN 10: 1618117653ISBN 13: 978-1618117656The inaugural book in ASP's new Evolution, Cognition, and the Arts series, this collection of essays examines selected works in the American literary tradition from an evolutionary perspective. Using an interdisciplinary framework to pose new questions about long admired, much discussed texts, the collection as a whole provides an introduction to Darwinian literary critical methodology. Individual essays feature a variety of figures―Benjamin Franklin to Billy Collins―targeting fitness-related issues ranging from sexual strategies and parental investment to cheating and deception. Attention is paid to the physical and social environments in which fictional characters are placed, including the influence of cultural–historical conditions on resource acquisition, status-building, competition, and reciprocity. Discussion throughou