The rise cognitive science has been one of the most important intellectual developments of recent years, stimulating new approaches to everything from philosophy to film studies. This is an introduction to what cognitive science has to offer the humanities and particularly the study of literature. Hogan suggests how the human brain works and makes us feel in response to literature. He walks the reader through all of the major theories of cognitive science that are important for the humanities in order to understand the production and reception of literature.

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

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

"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