History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative (Rethinking Theory)

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Theoretical Rescue!
Insightful and Enjoyable

The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative (Rethinking Theory)

Manufacturer: Northwestern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0810122871

Book Description

In recent years, articles in major periodicals from the New York Times Magazine to the Times Literary Supplement have heralded the arrival of a new school of literary studies that promises-or threatens-to profoundly shift the current paradigm. This revolutionary approach, known as Darwinian literary studies, is based on a few simple premises: evolution has produced a universal landscape of the human mind that can be scientifically mapped; these universal tendencies are reflected in the composition, reception, and interpretation of literary works; and an understanding of the evolutionary foundations of human behavior, psychology, and culture will enable literary scholars to gain powerful new perspectives on the elements, form, and nature of storytelling.

The goal of this book is to overcome some of the widespread misunderstandings about the meaning of a Darwinian approach to the human mind generally, and literature specifically. The volume brings together scholars from the forefront of the new field of evolutionary literary analysis-both literary analysts who have made evolution their explanatory framework and evolutionist scientists who have taken a serious interest in literature-to show how the human propensity for literature and art can be properly framed as a true evolutionary problem. Their work is an important step toward the long-prophesied synthesis of the humanities and what Steven Pinker calls "the new sciences of human nature."

Customer Reviews:

Theoretical Rescue!.......2007-01-06

Literary Animal is a relief to those of us who find that traditional literary theory just doesn't fit the empirical world. Insightful, fair, and balanced, the text is stimulating on a variety of levels, with measured critiques of existing theoretical approaches, and applications of evolutionary theory to a variety of literary tales. A gate-way text for students and teachers of this new theoretical paradigm.

Insightful and Enjoyable.......2006-09-20

As an evolutionary biologist with a strong interest in literary theory, finding this book was extremely exciting for me, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The book consists of a collection of thought provoking, well written essays that emphasize the need to incorporate evolutionary theory into the analysis of literature (and a few other art forms) and provide strong examples of the benefits of using this technique. The contributing authors come from a wide range of disciplines and bring a variety of views to the text. Some of my favorite essays included an analysis of Pride and Prejudice using evolutionary themes, an investigation of male-male bonds in narratives, and a discussion of the possible benefits we receive from watching/reading drama. I strongly recommend this for anyone who is interested in evolution, literature, or human nature.

Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale

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So-So
great for anyone interested in the context behind the story
fantastic
The morphology of a fairy tale
Red is dead long live, uh, red

Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale
Catherine Orenstein
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0465041264
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Amazon.com

Choosing one of the few fairy tales that does not conclude with a wedding, Catherine Orenstein reinterprets the many versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" by setting the tale against the mores and values of its times. The result is a highly entertaining and interesting conversation about one of our best-known stories.

Starting with the first-known published version, Orenstein points out Charles Perrault's lesson to young girls entering the lascivious and political court of Louis XIV. She traces the story further back to a shockingly playful rendition that includes bzous (werewolves) and cannibalism. In this version, she revives the symbolism that relates to the feminine by pointing out the odd questions of the bzou: "Which path are you taking... the path of needles or the path of pins?" Orenstein also takes a look at more modern versions, including Anne Sexton's poem "Red Riding Hood" and Matthew Bright's film Freeway, taking on, as she examines these and other modern versions of the old tale, the machismo wolf and the Gen-X grrrl.

Though expansive in her research, Orenstein's interpretations are occasionally too simplistic. In "Grandmother's Tale," Riding Hood's cannibalistic meal of her grandmother is reduced to a "symbolic reminder that the old will be reborn in the young." There is nothing mentioned of the talking cat who decries Riding Hood, saying, "She is a slut who eats the flesh and drinks the blood of her granny!" But what Orenstein lacks in depth, she more than makes up for in her encompassing study. In all, 10 tales are examined, as well as a vast historical study of the times they were published. Written with lively prose, Orenstein has produced a book that will spark thought and conversation, encouraging readers to find the wolf, the grandmother, and the little girl within. --Karin Rosman

Book Description

A young scholar goes to Grandmother's house--and beyond--to uncover the surprisingly complex and contradictory morals we've learned from this seemingly simple folk tale.

In Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked Catherine Orenstein reveals for the first time the intricate sexual politics, moral ambiguities, and philosophical underpinnings of Red Riding Hood's epic journey to her grandmother's house--and how, from the nursery on, fairy tales influence our view of the world.

Beginning with its first publication as a cautionary tale on the perils of seduction, written in reaction to the licentiousness of the court of Louis XIV, Orenstein traces the many lives the tale has lived since then, from its appearance in modern advertisements for cosmetics and automobiles, the inspiration it brought to poets such as Anne Sexton, and its starring role in pornographic films. In Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked, Red appears as seductress, hapless victim, riot grrrrl, femme fatale, and even she-wolf, as Orenstein shows how through centuries of different guises, the story has served as a barometer of social and sexual mores pertaining to women. Full of fascinating history, generous wit, and intelligent analysis, Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked proves that the story of one young girl's trip through the woods continues to be one of our most compelling modern myths.

Customer Reviews:

So-So.......2007-08-05

In my experience of feminist discourse, now and again fairy tales and their effect on people as children and as adults just seem to pop up. Orenstein gives us an entire book on Little Red Riding Hood including the original tale, different versions that have cropped up, a multitude of interpretations that have been viewed, as well as the modern use of the tale. I loved this book right up to the end where I felt Orenstein took an easy cop out through a poorly argued use of women's empowerment with red riding hood and porn/fantasy.

great for anyone interested in the context behind the story.......2007-03-16

anyone interested in fairy tales or in the way cultural and historical aspects influence and shape stories in general, fairy tales in particular, will find this book worth while. it was an easy read, well researched, great use of illustrations, quite comprehensive without exhausting the topic. one of the best things is that each chapter starts off with the complete version of the tale that is gonna be analyzed, which is great.

fantastic.......2007-01-03

Is a very interesting book , it gives you so much information about lots of things you have never imagined

The morphology of a fairy tale.......2006-08-11

Though just reduced to writing within the past three hundred years, little red riding hood existed even earlier as an oral tradition.

Interestingly enough, there's evidence to show that little red riding hood was widely told and retold in both the east and west with both oriental and European versions.

A good scholar, Orenstein faithfully recounts ten versions of the story as it has been retold in the west over the past three hundred years. Though some forms have been more baudy and violent, throughout Orenstein has seen the story as a sort of potential myth of female empowerment.

As one reads this book, one is reminded of the various versions of the flood story as told and retold through the world's religious traditions. Just as each religion took the story and retold it in its own distinctive fashion, each culture and time has taken the little red riding hood story retelling it in its own distinctive fashion.

In this sense, the retellings say more about the culture or individual doing the talking than they do about any intrinsic pedagogic value the story may have in its own right.

Though like many commentators, Orenstein referenced Joseph Campbell when discussing the imponderables of why certain stories seem to have such pan cultural staying power, it should be noted that great strides have taken place in behavioral psychology in the past fifty years since Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces. So, those interested in really learning why certain stories have staying power over others would be wise to consult the works of Pascal Boyer.

For her part though, Orenstein has produced a great book that essentially tells the story by letting the story speak for itself.

Red is dead long live, uh, red.......2006-04-21

This book is a fascinating insight into the background of LRRH and many of the re- written versions through time, modern to post modern. I felt compelled to read it all on each occasion that I had to read, only to have to peel myself away to get on with everyday life! Apparently I am a wolf, as are all men, but in the modern world we all know that wolfs are female as well as male, and the same goes for our precious LRRH remember those with sweetest tounge are the most dangerous of all!!

Literary Darwinism: Evolution, Human Nature, and Literature

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Canonical Text
Category Mistake
A new paradigm
A Potentially Revolutionary Contribution

Literary Darwinism: Evolution, Human Nature, and Literature
Joseph Carroll
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415970148

Book Description

In Literary Darwinism, Carroll presents a comprehensive survey of this new movement with a collection of his most important previously published work, along with three new essays. The essays and reviews give commentary on all the major contributors to the field, situate the field as a whole in relation to historical trends and contemporary schools, provide Darwinist readings of major literary texts such as Pride and Prejudice and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and analyze literary Darwinism in relation to the affiliated fields of evolutionary metaphysics, cognitive rhetoric, and ecocriticism. Collecting the essays in a single volume will provide a central point of reference for scholars interested in consulting what the "foremost practitioner" (New York Times) of Darwinian literary criticism has to say about his field.

Customer Reviews:

Canonical Text.......2007-03-11

Incredibly inciteful, perceptive, and well-thought out; this book should be required reading in all college English departments. Mr. Carroll approaches literature with the rationality of science, but with none of its often jargon-filled dryness. Fascinating analyses of the evolutionary motives that not only make us tick, but some of our best-loved literary characters as well. A guide to reality, via fiction.

Category Mistake.......2006-10-22

The human imagination is the fount of extraordinary creativity. "Flights of fancy" take us to places and ideas that only the mind can conceive, places where we create our own reality, if only for a time, a place where only "credibility" is a gauge, and often not even that. We've created more deities in our image than any single god can hold. We've traversed Aquinas's labyrinth of angelic worlds were no human has ever gone, and probably never will. Milton took us to Paradise, and explains how we lost it. Dante takes us through hell, purgatory, and back to Paradise. Marx's Utopia is a wonderlust of wishful aspirations and neurotic tensions. Freud's landscape of the psyche is unparalleled in its imagination, however false empirically. Borges takes us into places we can't get out, and we love the dead-ends. Science fiction takes us to worlds we want to explore without the constraints of our present limitations. It's all wonderful, delightful, provocative, and truly human. It's also fiction. We sometimes forget that.

The imaginative arts allow us "freedom" that the sciences, for example, limit. But that "freedom" is our window into ourselves, a projection of every possible nuance one can imagine. It allows us to create and fabricate all sorts of "alternative realities," explore different possibilities, stretch our limits, and go in directions that physics won't allow. Even those "worlds" that bear close resemblance to our own, such as Shakespeare's or Byron's, are still distant lands. We take a journey into realms only our imaginations understand. We must never lose this precious inheritance. But we also must not "confuse" it for the real. Nor try to "codify" it with overarching theories of interpretative hegemony. It remains a frontier that should not be reduced to ideology or the scientific method. That is both perversion and a "category mistake." It boxes-in that vestige of energy that must not be contained.

At first blush, literary Darwinism seems eminently sensible, using sociobiological insights of "life" itself to better understand our "creative lives." After all, we are humans first, and understanding our biological natures surely aids our understanding of each other, not the least of which is our own creative projects. With this level of approach, I have no cavil. It is clearly superior to the dogmatic Ivory Tower Drivel that has infected the Humanities over the past half century. Having "a foot on the ground" cannot but help bring our Humanities folk back to reality. But I cannot endorse a new "empirical" literary theory to replace the old ideological paradigm, however more sensible, because it just adds another template through which to force us through a sieve.

Being empirically-oriented myself, I cannot fault an English-literature professor suggesting we "re-impose" some reality in our literary theory. It's long been absent. Moreover, he's working in an environment hostile to such "realities," but his treatment is worse than the disease. He's advocating placing readers under imaging devices (e.g., fMRIs) to measure their responses to the literary experience, to tabulate the data, and show how it comports with all the other evolutionary work done in anthropology, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, etc. This is positively garrish, a project Darwin himself would find repugnant!

Let's situate Carroll in his predicament, and try to understand why he would make such an outlandish proposal. As a former Arnoldean, steeped in the Liberal Humanistic Tradition, he's convinced that only an appeal to "empiricism" will lift off the shackles of the Postmodernist Hegemon that dominates the Humanities. He's convinced that the "entrenched interests" will not budge otherwise, because it's their "bread and butter" to be contrarian, subversive, and radically irrational. He may be right. Certainly the English Departments in Anglo-American academies are a species of their own. And their ideological spue is toxic as well as dissonant. Asking why it persists, despite the onslaught of criticism from all other disciplines, only validates Carroll's point. It's entrenched.

But there is more. Carroll claims that the nexus of Marxism, Freudianism, and Deconstructionism creates a "whole" theory of the "world," arguably false, but complete. This claim needs to be taken seriously, even if I find it preposterous. Do these ideological flights of fancy really make a composite whole? Carroll insists the "nail" was sealed with Deconstructionism, which denies everything but "rhetoric," and then makes rhetoric so indeterminate, that all that is left is the assertion of the "will to power." Marxism and Freudianism just fill-in on the margins when anxieties get too tough. It's an interesting claim. And, if the claim is true, why? Why are English Departments exempt from substantiating their dogmas? No other academic discipline is "allowed" this latitude.

These questions need answers before we start forcing the "arts" through the "scientific" paradigm. Gilbert Ryle's famous phrase "category mistake" just screams at this indiscretion. And the "cure" is just as unsettling as the "sickness." Again, don't misunderstand me. Biological insights certainly enhance our understanding of imaginative works, because they both herald from "life" itself. Here we're on common ground. But "empiricizing" the imaginative arts should seem terribly dissonant, and "measuring" the aesthetic experience is fundamentally incoherent. Even if it could be done, why would we? To save the Humanities from itself? The prescription is worse than the problem.

Notwithstanding this broader reservation, Carroll's articulate, incisive, and well-crafted Humanistic scholarship blends with sociobiological facts and theory to produce one of the most sustained indictments of the impoverished Humanities and a compelling raison d'etre to look to proven sociobiological theory, coupled with Wilson's advocacy of "consilience" (unity of knowledge), to move Humanistic Study forward to a far more promising frontier. There's no looking back.

A new paradigm.......2005-02-04

The greatest mind of the 19th Century, perhaps of any century, was that of Charles Darwin. If any mind of the 20th Century might be said to equal Darwin's it would be that of Edward Osborne Wilson. An entomologist, it was Wilson who demonstrated the implications of insect societies for human cultures. His ideas were first promulgated in his 1975 book "Sociobiology" and bore full fruit with "Consilience" in 1998. In "Consilience", Wilson proposed that, as humans were as much a part of Nature as any other creature, our behaviour traits, including the arts and literature, should be viewed in the light of evolution. Wilson demonstrated how the human spirit would be expanded, not diminished, by such a framework. The research ensuing since "Sociobiology" has affirmed Wilson's insight. How would such scenario apply to literature?

Joseph Carroll, a literary critic, incorporates Wilson's insights throughout this collection. Carroll argues that our outlook on the world would be expanded, not confined, by consciously applying Darwin's principles to our literature. Many authors, he notes, have done this through an intuitive sense. Jane Austen, hardly a Darwinian, still presented her characters fully integrated within their natural environment. Austen distinguished between which environments suited a character and which left the individual feeling displaced. For Carroll, this is an encouraging sign. Observant and astute writers can apply what he calls the "Darwinian paradigm", imparting a more natural and plausible foundation to fiction. He wants new writers to understand how to employ those principles from the outset. In this, Carroll is following where Wilson is pointing. The result, Carroll feels, will be an improved basis for literature's production and analysis.

Narrative itself, not only common to the human condition, but apparently necessary to it, reflects our ancestral past. As Wilson pointed out, human beings are a social, not a solitary, animal. Carroll's thesis furthers this idea by noting that narrative accounts are a means of identification within a community. Depicted human interactions must reflect that situation and be based on firm knowledge of Darwinian principles, not on assumptions nor sketchy awareness. He criticises authors who pay lip service to the "Darwinian paradigm" without truly understanding its tenets.

Carroll's thesis is based on what is known as "the Adapted Mind". Our mental states, whether in writing or reading, are derived from the long evolutionary path we've traversed. We aren't separated or "elevated" from it. Much of his attention is given to revealing the false notion of "poststructuralism" - that there are no "truths" [whether absolute or relative] and that authors have no intent in their writings, simply expression formed by local "culture". Darwin's idea, for example, could only have occured in Victorian Britain. Obviously, in such a framework, evolutionary roots have no role in composition, reading or criticism. It seems trite when Carroll writes "the subject matter of literature is human experience", but he feels we need to be reminded of that truth. Writing, he contends, must reflect that truism more forcefully than is often the case. Steps have already been taken, he notes. Such works as "Biopoetics" and "Homo Aestheticus" are indicators of a more realistic approach in fiction.

Carroll's three part collection - a view of the "literary landscape", theory and practical criticism, and assessments of Darwian biographers and critics, is a splendid example of how consilience works. He is opening a new frontier of both writing and reading, and is optimistic for its success. He stresses that a merger of the humanities and sciences, is not only desireable, but necessary. A better knowledge of ourselves must involve a better knowledge of our world. That can only be beneficial to all humanity and its habitat, using literature as a means. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

A Potentially Revolutionary Contribution.......2004-11-29

The various essays, articles and book reviews comprising Joseph Carroll's Literary Darwinism are rooted in two principles: first, humans share a common nature that can be revealed through the scientific method; second, this universal nature is the product of relentless Darwinian selection over eons. While this is obviously orthodox stuff in the world of behavioral biology, these notions remain quite heretical among the social constructivists who continue to dominate the world of literary studies. From Carroll's simple principles flow corollaries with large implications for literary studies and behavioral biology. The most important corollary for literary scholars is that a large proportion of all that has been said, written, or merely thought in the realm of literary theory and criticism over the last several decades is obviously and often breathtakingly wrong. This is because all of the dominant "poststructuralist" approaches--Lacanian, Foucauldian, Marxist, radical feminist, deconstructionist, and others--are organized around an adamantine core of social constructivist theory that is profoundly at odds both with Darwinian theory and with practical research in what Steven Pinker calls "the new sciences of human nature."

Carroll's argument is really quite simple. All literary criticism and theory is ultimately based on theories of human nature (even the theory that there is no such thing as human nature is a theory of human nature). Literary scholarship constructed on unsound theoretical foundations--on essentially faulty premises about human tendencies and potential--must itself be unsound, no matter how internally self-consistent. The chapters of Literary Darwinism articulate Carroll's vision of a foundation-up reorganization of literary studies along Darwinian lines. Carroll describes a Darwinian Literary Study where judgments about literary plots, characters, and themes are rooted in the bedrock of evolutionary theory, are disciplined by the findings of scientific research, and, when possible, are tested using scientific methods.

Literary scholars and evolutionists who are interested in the concept of consilience will also be interested in Literary Darwinism, which represents one of the most serious and sustained attempts to establish consilience between the humanities and behavioral biology-and to plumb its implications.

Of Literature and Knowledge: Explorations in Narrative Thought Experiments, Evolution, and Game Theory

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Of Literature and Knowledge: Explorations in Narrative Thought Experiments, Evolution, and Game Theory
Peter Swirski
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415420601

Book Description

Framed by the theory of evolution, this colorful and engaging volume presents a new understanding of the mechanisms by which we transfer information from narrative make-believe to real life. Ranging across game theory and philosophy of science, as well as poetics and aesthetics, Peter Swirski explains how literary fictions perform as a systematic tool of enquiry, driven by thought experiments. Crucially, he argues for a continuum between the cognitive tools employed by scientists, philosophers and scholars or writers of fiction.

The result is a provocative study of our talent and propensity for creating imaginary worlds, different from the world we know yet invaluable to our understanding of it. Of Literature and Knowledge is a noteworthy challenge to contemporary critical theory, arguing that by bridging the gap between literature and science we might not only reinvigorate literary studies but, above all, further our understanding of literature.

Customer Reviews:

Why read fiction?.......2007-08-10

When we read a novel what do we stand to gain? Enjoyment? In many cases yes, but is there more to it than the aesthetical value? Why do people love to tell and hear stories so much? If you are interested to learn more about the role of stories in our lives then this book has some surprising answers. The author methodically examines the role of fiction in our search for knowledge. He introduces us to the modelling properties of stories, showing the surprising similarities between literature and mathematics. He demonstrates that many stories have the properties of though experiments not different from those used in philosophy or the natural sciences.
Swirski brings his case methodologically, examining both mechanisms and possible outcomes. To do this he draws from a multitude of sources that are as diverse as the aim of the book is interdisciplinary, underlining the generality of the concepts presented. He draws on evolution to explain how it can be that we gain knowledge from though models, and methodologically analyses and rebuts the arguments against their use. He demonstrates the principles using examples from famous works as well as from everyday life. The breadth of examples used is in itself a good reason to read this book as most people - be they students of literature or of the natural sciences - will find much that was unknown to them and even more that is presented in a new and surprising context. The language is easy enough to follow even for readers new to the field (I am myself a scientist, though I love literature) and often gripping or humorous like that of a good novel. At times it is also passionate, e.g. when the author attacks practices in literary research that he considers being misleading.
While the book will be especially useful for students and teachers of literature, its interdisciplinary message means that it will be interesting to people of a variety of backgrounds. Indeed this is part of the message of the book, as the author changes our perception of literature. Swirski firmly places literature back on a continuum with the other disciplines, including mathematics, philosophy and science, in the pursuit for knowledge and in doing so he changes the reader's perception of literature profoundly.

Comment from reader.......2007-05-14

I need to explain that my background in mainly in the social sciences,
although I read widely in literature and have recently been involved in an interdisciplinary program called Literature, Science, Society. This is also why I was attracted to buy this book, and, having read it in one evening, I am amazed that such an original, wide ranging and colorfully written book has not yet been the subject of a dozen reviews. You can gauge the quality of this extraordinary little volume by the editorial reviews. The first is by E.O.Wilson, one of the greatest scientists of our times (and controversial too), and the other from Joseph Carroll who, as far as I can tell, is the best critic in the field called literary/evolutionary studies. Both extol the virtues of Swirski's book
and, to my mind, both are right to do so.
A few words about the structure of this book. After the introduction
which, in readability, humor, and clarity of analysis sets the tone for the other 180 pages, come 5 chapters. Chapter 1 "Literature and Knowledge" contains a detailed review of the state of literary research, or, as Swirski makes painfully clear, what goes under the name of literary research. Chapter Two "Literature and Modelling" outlines with the unexpected homologies between literature and mathematics. Chapter 3 "Literature and Evolution" is a model of how interdisciplinary analysis ought to be done: it will certainly form the backbone of the courses I teach. Chapter 4 "Literature and Thought Experiments" is in many
ways the linchpin of the book. It covers the many ways in which fiction
behaves like a thought experiment and it also reviews and rebuts the standard criticisms of counterfactual thinking. Chapter 6 "Literature and Game Theory" I found the most challenging but also the most interesting in its application of the matrix tools of the theory of games to literature.
All in all I warmly recommend this book to all teachers of literature
and the social sciences and I agree with Professor Carroll that for energy, passion, and the ability to explain difficult concepts in a clear and often funny way, the book has few equals.

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Bravery!

Evolution and Literary Theory
Joseph Carroll
Manufacturer: University of Missouri Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0826209793

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Bravery!.......2005-03-07

I think Joseph Carroll has written a work that is perhaps too ranging in content. He has an admirable intellect and his knowledge is so sweeping that he reminds one of those Victorians who converged the unexpected into their immediate intellectual pursuit. Wide learning is very much absent from academic centers where specialization is the rule. Carroll's unique intellect is a welcome sign in this respect. I was mostly intrigued by his estimate of Arnold's participation in the debates between the rising professional scientists and the entrenched Greek studies at Oxford. I think the book could have been more beneficial if focused on late nineteenth century Britain when the concept of human nature that developed from the study of Greek literature was not so radically incompatible with evolutionary theories propounded by Spencer, Huxley, and Darwin.

A good place to begin such an analysis might be the commonplace notebooks of men like Wilde, and the Essays, Speculative, and Critical of John Addington Symonds. Therein lies the truth of the the thesis that compatibility existed between Arnold's "Literature and Science" (1882). Arnold proposed: "Let us, therefore, all of us, avoid indeed as much as possible any invidious comparison between the merits of humane letters, as means of education, and the merits of the natural sciences."

Those critics that Carroll takes to task for their lack of knowledge about their own subject matter (i.e. critics of late nineteenth century writers like Wilde, Symonds, Pater, Vernon Lee, Grant Allen, etc.) would be presented with stronger arguments for why they should begin reading Spencer, Huxley, and Darwin. These writers all contributed to the various magazines, reviews, and periodicals of their time making their knowledge of scientific issues an everyday concern. One of the salient features of such reviews is the propensity for synthesis
which grew decidedly more idealist toward the 1890's. Out of that environment emerged the New Woman, Fabianism, and the very society that financed Wilde's rise.

I was surprised that Carroll did not quote Wilde's Intentions where the darling of queer theory made his statement avant la lettre: "Aesthetics, in fact, are to Ethics in the sphere of conscious civilization, what in the sphere of the external world, sexual is to natural selection." (Ellman, 406) Did Geoffrey Miller not propose this same thesis? Surprisingly the Victorians were brave in their speculations and showed little fear to venture new readings. Evolutionary psychologists interested in history and literature have a gold mine in the Fornightly Review, Cornhill Magazine, Mind, Nineteenth Century, etc. This is where the New Historicists dip and double dip. What they must find there in those archives of the politically incorrect necropolis of DWEMS must be a sadist's delight. Thousands of old white Victorian fannies to kick and whip. A scholar needs to enter such sites with a healthy dose of scepticism and an open mind. Carroll's method will prepare the Victorian scholars of the future, hopefully, to think and observe before they speak and write. So much of our literary theory today is bred in an isolation tank. What Carroll proposes is that we take a good hard look at the evolutionary science being written today and connect to it.

Carroll has chosen his fate well. He has the backing of great minds from the nineteenth century, minds that mostly appear unfathomable to today's dwarfs. This book deserves close study if for that reason alone. I don't know that he argues convincingly that the greater concerns of the queer theorists are banal, I do concur with him however, that much of what passes for literary study really belongs back in the locker room or the public facilities.

There is such a thing as tactful and insightful literary exploration of same-sex themes in texts. I don't think Carroll argues against that. Although these concerns are not the burden of Carroll's argument, it might have benefitted his case to have presented the subject with more grace. In particular, his characterization of Sedgwick seems unfair in light of her equally brave move to have relentlessly worked to carve out a space for alternative readings of Victorian literature. The attack on queer theory as pure rhetoric simply will not do when one considers that the more substantive issues lead directly to concerns germane to biological study. Though much is said of Foucault, no time is given to Boswell or Simon LeVay. This is a great error in his attack on queer theory and readers will quickly perceive a lack of balance. Again, considering that this book was written in the mid ninties, some slack must be given.

I have other major concerns with some of his readings that I cannot voice here, but I think this work is valuable as a source for ideas not available in Sparta (my term for the empire of academia).

Body Tranformations: Evolutions and Atavisms in Culture

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Body Tranformations: Evolutions and Atavisms in Culture
Alphonso Lingis
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415973678

Book Description

In this new book, the philosopher and critic Alphonso Lingis extends a question that has occupied him throughout his career: how are we to understand the strangeness of our bodies? Weaving together philosophy, psychoanalysis, and anthropology, Lingis explores how the body might be more richly understood in terms of parts. Moving from ethics to fetishism, from the functions of genitals to the distinctiveness of good actions, this is a unique and thought-provoking book.

Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misuses of a Theory

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Figments of Darwinian Historical Imagination
An intriguing and ghostly study of modern social thought.

Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misuses of a Theory
Edward Caudill
Manufacturer: University of Tennessee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Figments of Darwinian Historical Imagination.......2001-05-20

This is a superb snapshot of the legend-creation process that has always braided with the legacy of Darwinism. Ideology has been described as a lack of information, and the absence of historical knowledge in depth of the development of Darwinism by the general public has left the field to sound bite summaries, the fodder of legend, myth, and outright falsehood. Both sides of the debate have shown their colours here, although the genesis of Social Darwinism has been the worst of the whole process. The book covers a range of topics from the hollywoodization of the Huxley-Wilberforce debate, to the strange tale of Darwin's death bed confession, from the Spanish Civil War to the questions of eugenics, and finally the fearful shadow of fascism at the end of the whole business. The author starts with a fact little grasped, that Darwinism began with many of the tactics in their early forms of the modern publicity machine. The clear objections of many critics, in the confusion of the fact of evolution versus the theory of the mechanism, counted little as the promotion of the Darwin camp ensured the success of Darwin's theory irregardless of its deeper scientific merits as it tagged along with the timely spread of evolutionary thinking in general.

An intriguing and ghostly study of modern social thought........1997-04-11

Although there is something to be said for a catcy title, Myths and Misuses of Darwinism soon vanishes from the reader's mind. As the book is unacceptably skant in both content and innovation, the reader is unable to conjure the meaning of the book. Thus, the reader is forced to delve deep into the phantom pages in order to ascertain the author's argument. At times, however, by way of some supernatural sense, the author is able to express his views to the reader often without actually demonstrating them in the text. Although this book is unable to make a lasting impression, it offers a rare oppurtunity for the reader particpate a he must envision what the author will conclude about Myths and Misuses in Darwinism

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The Biological Origins of Art
Doctoral thesis for Dissanayake fans
Never Judge a Book by Its Cover or the Title on It

The Biological Origins of Art
Nancy E. Aiken
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0275959015

Book Description

Beginning with Plato, philosophers have theorized about art, asking "What is art?" and "How does art evoke emotion?" Their answers, evolving from Plato's Idealism, have led to Nihilism. "Art cannot be defined" is the current answer to the first question, and the second has not been dealt with in any significant way since Langer's Feeling and Form in 1953. How art affects our emotions is considered not from a philosophical viewpoint but from an evolutionary standpoint. "How are emotions aroused?" is a biological question, and, as Aiken clarifies, it has been answered by neuroscientists. Art is usually thought of as pleasurable, but it can be ugly, disgusting, or fearsome. Aiken argues that fear, for example, can be elicited by simple shapes, lines, colors, or sound. Rather than just a source of pleasure, Aiken shows how art becomes a powerful tool of social and political manipulation. Through art, people can be conditioned to fear leaders, nations, gods, and ideas. A provocative work of interest to scholars and researchers as well as all people interested in art and human behavior.

Customer Reviews:

The Biological Origins of Art.......2000-04-18

Nancy Aiken's book provides empirical evidence for why the arts are an essential aspect of our evolved biological nature. Aiken's claim is that when we have a strong response to the arts we are usually engaging far more than topical issues. We are engaging the ancient parts of the brain that have to do with our survival. The fight, flight or freeze responses are at the core of being alive and as we participate in these experience -- through the arts -- we are making deep connections to the old parts of the brain. This may explain, not only the strong emotions we may have, but also how the arts are a vehicle for making us conscious of our essential human nature -- that we cannot always put into words. I highly recommend Nancy Aiken's book for its ability to offer an understanding of our biological responses to the arts, without destroying the unique and profoundly important quality of the art experience itself.

Doctoral thesis for Dissanayake fans.......1999-01-13

There is terrific information in this book for the true art 'n' biology geek. It does suffer from the academic form of the doctoral thesis, but it connects lots of interesting studies with theory from art and ethology. The cover is a dead give-away at just how non-sexy the book is going to be, but if you loved Homo Aestheticus and crave more on this topic, Ms Aiken's work will scratch your itch until Ellen D's next book comes out.

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover or the Title on It.......1998-10-20

The title of Nancy Aikens' book, The Biological Origins of Art, seems a bit misleading. As it was published in 1998, I thought I would learn of some new and exciting scientific discovery of why humans feel (and have found for tens of thousands of years -- as we know thus far) the need to express themselves through imagery. It appears Nancy Aikens approached the subject matter in a more research-oriented manner in that she dryly reiterates what has already been evaluated and written on human behavior and emotion in general, instead of digesting and reiterpreting the material referenced in her Notes in an attempt to enlighten the reader with some new and interesting concepts and discoveries. Furthermore, by the time I finally read about the "origins of art," which appears some halfway through the book and is difficult to get to in a conscious state, I was deeply disappointed. Overall, there were a few interesting points, but these points were quotes, experiments or ideas of other authors. I failed to find Nancy Aikens book compelling and regret not being able to recommend it. Unfortunately, I felt the text was not as original as the title.

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The Cultural Theory of Matthew Arnold
Joseph Carroll
Manufacturer: Univ of California Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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