#593 Brian Boyd - On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
RECORDED ON NOVEMBER 17th 2021.
Dr. Brian Boyd is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He is known primarily as an expert on the life and works of author Vladimir Nabokov and on literature and evolution. He is the author of On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction.
In this episode, we focus on On the Origin of Stories. We first talk about the evolutionary origins of art and storytelling, including questions like the functions of art; if it is an adaptation; sexual selection; and the savannah hypothesis. We then get into storytelling, and how we study it in hunter-gatherer societies; universals in storytelling; and comparing oral storytelling to literature. We discuss how people develop their artistic preferences, and what makes art successful. We compare art to other human activities, like religion, and ask if it is special. We discuss the role storytelling plays in child development. We address the concern that the quality of art might be on the decline. Finally, we talk about what an evolutionary lens brings to literary studies.
Time Links:
Intro
The evolutionary origins of art and storytelling
Art in industrial societies
Studying ancient storytelling
Universals in storytelling
From oral storytelling to literature
How people develop their artistic preferences
What makes art successful?
The relationship between art and religion
Is art a special kind of human activity?
Storytelling and child development
Are there ways of creating stories that work, and others that don’t?
Collective stories
Is the quality of art on the decline?
Bringing an evolutionary lens to literary studies
Follow Dr. Boyd’s work!
Follow Dr. Boyd’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3Brhfjr
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3msG4Hx
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/3nOE4ZQ
On the Origin of Stories: https://amzn.to/35HaWe5