According to the Guardian's summary of a new study by evolutionary psychologists, 19th century British novels helped to shape the positive values of Victorian society. Books like Middlemarch and Dracula promoted cooperation and affability and cautioned against power and dominance. The study suggests novels "have a function that continues to contribute to the quality and structure of group life."
Thursday, January 29, 2009
New Study Finds Novels Shape Values
According to the Guardian's summary of a new study by evolutionary psychologists, 19th century British novels helped to shape the positive values of Victorian society. Books like Middlemarch and Dracula promoted cooperation and affability and cautioned against power and dominance. The study suggests novels "have a function that continues to contribute to the quality and structure of group life."
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Wow, I am getting sick of evolutionary biologists infecting the cultural genres. (Although if you want a good recommendation that is fairly literary, try Geoffrey Miller's The Mating Mind). Strange as this sounds, I actually long for the days when the Marxists or deconstructionists were the rage. Call me terribly old-fashioned.
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