ABSTRACT
The chapters in this volume interpret Jane Austen’s fiction through the lens of various sciences of the mind and brain, especially the cluster of disciplines implicated in the term cognitivescience, including neuroscience, evolutionary biology, evolutionary and developmental psychology, and others. The field of cognitive literary studies has rapidly developed in the last few decades, and Jane Austen has emerged as one of the most popular authors to analyze from this perspective. Despite the widespread recognition of the special congruity between Austen’s novels and cognitive science, however, no book has been devoted to this subject. Jane Austen and Sciences of the Mind is the first monograph wholly composed of readings of Austen’s oeuvre (juvenilia as well as all six completed novels) from cognitive and related psychological approaches. In addition, the volume operates under the assumption that cognitive and historicist approaches are compatible, and many essays situate Austen within the climate of ideas during her era as well as in relation to current research in the sciences and social sciences.
After providing an overview of cognitive literary studies, the Introduction offers brief summaries of all the chapters, demonstrating the range of topics addressed in the volume, including Theory of Mind (William Nelles, Beth Lau, Patrick Colm Hogan), social minds and sociocognitive understanding (William Nelles, Patrick Colm Hogan), the neurobiology of love (Wendy Jones), the overlap between memory and imagination (Alan Richardson), metarepresentation (Beth Lau), resilience and neuroplasticity (Kay Young), the distinction between emotions and feelings (Kate Singer), the importance of play for human development and psychological well-being (Bethany Wong), different modes of attention (Natalie Phillips et al.), and social identity theory (Matt Lorenz).
