A Cognitive Approach to John Donne's Songs and Sonnets
Opis
Investigations into how the brain actually works have led to remarkable discoveries of late, and these findings carry profound implications for interpreting literature. This study applies recent breakthroughs from neuroscience and evolutionary psychology in order to deepen our understanding of John Donne's Songs and Sonnets. "Winkelman's book offers his readers one of the most thought-provoking and well-documented studies of the recent developments in cognitive science and their rich implications for how we read and mentally respond to John Donne's highly dramatic and unprecedented early modern poetry. As the study clearly demonstrates, the reader's cognitive response is a vital element in the poem's expression of an inner reality." - Helen B. Brooks, Department of English, Stanford University, USA
"Winkelman's inventive interpretations of Donne's Songs and Sonnets extend the historical reach and theoretical diversity of cognitive approaches to literature. Exploring such topics as the evolution and structure of language, the role of novelty, sex-differential mating, and costly signaling, Winkelman comments provocatively on this central seventeenth-century poet. His energetic, eclectic method is sure to arouse the interest of all students of literature." - Nancy Easterlin, Research Professor of English and Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, University of New Orleans, USA