Glad to have you back, Cheerskep, even if only to administer yet another dour dose of skepticism.
And thanks for the reference to the Deresiewicz essay which I find as pertinent as it is funny and scathing -- not only regarding literary Darwinism, but also the literary Theory (his capitalization) that it thankfully seeks to replace: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090608/deresiewicz Here's the quote that I appreciate the most: "Even if literary Darwinism were grounded in real science, it could never replace the subjective encounter with a text that lies at the heart of all reading and should lie at the heart of all pedagogy and all criticism." As a science, I'm doubting that L.D. will get very far, since there may never be any evidence available from the Pleistocene. And it is truly pathetic how scholarship in the humanities continues to mimic scientific practice. (yet another adaptive, evolutionary strategy, no doubt) But L.D. does seem to advocate the centrality of that "subjective encounter" far more than current art/literary criticism with its concern for "diverse, linked texts" And if an L.D. scholar, like Carroll, really can enlighten me regarding "Pride and Prejudice" --- so much the better. ......................... >There's a ton of stuff on the "uses" of fiction. The May 20 issue of THE NATION has a piece, "Adaptation: on Literary Darwinism". The Autumn 2009 issue of the Wilson Quarterly has a piece based on the "NATION" piece, title "Cheeks Swabs for Hamlet". Joseph Carroll allegedly launched the topic of literary Darwinism with his 1995 book, "Evolution and Literary Theory". Brian Boyd's 2009 book, "On the Origin of Stories" is the latest contribution. I can't pretend I've seriously studied the material, but what I have read is unpersuasive. I often feel the great majority of literary theory is the product of desperation in scholars who are pressured more and more to publish -- but literature is a "closed" subject. By that I mean, the material they can write about is all behind us, as distinguished from, say, science which can in the act of research and writing produce new subject matter. (Cheerskep) ____________________________________________________________ Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/c?cp=7TeObqNu-g9_Vf7u6ktJcgAAJz6c l_zTaptgNR5c8Mer1v9kAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEUgAAAAA=
