On the origin of stories

Comprehensive account of the evolutionary origins of art and storytelling. Brian Boyd explains why we tell stories, how our minds are shaped to understand them, and what difference an evolutionary understanding of human nature makes to stories we love. Art is a specifically human adaptation, Boyd argues. It offers tangible advantages for human survival: our fondness for storytelling has sharpened social cognition, encouraged cooperation, and fostered creativity. After considering art as adaptation, Boyd examines a.o. Homer's Odyssey. What triggers our emotional engagement with these works? What patterns facilitate our responses? The need to hold an audience's attention, Boyd underscores, is the fundamental problem facing all storytellers. Enduring artists arrive at solutions that appeal to cognitive universals. The study embraces a Darwinian view of human nature and art, and offers a credo for a new humanism. Bespreking van Anita Twaalfhoven in: Boekman.22(2010)82(voorjaar.111) en bespreking in NRC Handelsblad 18-9-2009.