Cognitive Science, Literature, and the Arts

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

• Introduction. The Dustheap of History: Why Cognitive Science Now? Chapter 1. My Favorite Things: Thinking Jazz Chapter 2. Is It Cognitive Science Yet? (Some Basic Principles) Chapter 3. The Author: Maestros and Geniuses Chapter 4. The Text (I): Where the Metaphors Are Chapter 5. The Text (II): Narrative, or Getting the Story Straight Chapter 6. The Reader: How Literature Makes Us Feel Chapter 7. From Mind to Matter: Art, Empathy, and the Brain Chapter 8. The Evolutionary Turn: Blindness and Insight in the Explanation of Art and Mind Works Cited

"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