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Useful Fictions: Evolution, Anxiety, and the Origins of Literature
Michael Austin
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Description for Useful Fictions: Evolution, Anxiety, and the Origins of Literature
Hardback. An exploration of why humans are drawn to fictional stories through the application of evolution theory and cognitive science Series: Frontiers of Narrative. Num Pages: 192 pages, 2 illustrations, 1 table. BIC Classification: DSA; DSK. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 150 x 224 x 19. Weight in Grams: 376.
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” Joan Didion observed in The White Album. Why is this? Michael Austin asks, in Useful Fictions. Why, in particular, are human beings, whose very survival depends on obtaining true information, so drawn to fictional narratives? After all, virtually every human culture reveres some form of storytelling. Might there be an evolutionary reason behind our species’ need for stories? Drawing on evolutionary biology, anthropology, narrative theory, cognitive psychology, game theory, and evolutionary aesthetics, Austin develops the concept of a “useful fiction,” a simple narrative that serves an adaptive function unrelated to its factual one. ... Read more
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” Joan Didion observed in The White Album. Why is this? Michael Austin asks, in Useful Fictions. Why, in particular, are human beings, whose very survival depends on obtaining true information, so drawn to fictional narratives? After all, virtually every human culture reveres some form of storytelling. Might there be an evolutionary reason behind our species’ need for stories? Drawing on evolutionary biology, anthropology, narrative theory, cognitive psychology, game theory, and evolutionary aesthetics, Austin develops the concept of a “useful fiction,” a simple narrative that serves an adaptive function unrelated to its factual one. ... Read more
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2011
Publisher
University of Nebraska Press United States
Number of pages
192
Condition
New
Series
Frontiers of Narrative
Number of Pages
192
Place of Publication
Lincoln, United States
ISBN
9780803230262
SKU
V9780803230262
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Michael Austin
Michael Austin is the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. He is the author of Reading the World: Ideas that Matter and the editor of A Voice in the Wilderness: Conversations with Terry Tempest Williams.
Reviews for Useful Fictions: Evolution, Anxiety, and the Origins of Literature
"Rich in relevant allusions to scientific research and literary art, Austin's book demonstrates that the evolutionary utility of fiction, more than its truth or beauty, supports the universal attraction of humans to literature."—C.J. Bell, Choice