BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction Paperback - 2014

by Brian Boyd

Add to wish list

Reader reviews for On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

From the publisher

A century and a half after the publication of Origin of Species, evolutionary thinking has expanded beyond the field of biology to include virtually all human-related subjects--anthropology, archeology, psychology, economics, religion, morality, politics, culture, and art. Now a distinguished scholar offers the first 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, and it derives from play, itself an adaptation widespread among more intelligent animals. More particularly, our fondness for storytelling has sharpened social cognition, encouraged cooperation, and fostered creativity.

After considering art as adaptation, Boyd examines Homer's Odyssey and Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who! demonstrating how an evolutionary lens can offer new understanding and appreciation of specific works. 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: an insight out of step with contemporary criticism, which obscures both the individual and universal. Published for the bicentenary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species, Boyd's study embraces a Darwinian view of human nature and art, and offers a credo for a new humanism.

Details

  • Title On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
  • Author Brian Boyd
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 560
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Belknap Press, Cambridge
  • Publication date 11/16/2014
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780674057111 / 0674057112
  • Weight 1.4 lbs (0.64 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 in (23.37 x 15.49 x 3.81 cm)
  • Category Literature - Classics / Criticism
  • Library of Congress subjects Fiction - Authorship, Fiction - History and criticism
  • Dewey Decimal Code 809.3

More Copies for Sale

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$17.93
NZ$5.38 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press. Used - Good. . . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$17.93
NZ$5.38 Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories : Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

On the Origin of Stories : Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Brian Boyd

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$25.09
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Harvard University Press, 2010. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$25.09
Free Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$37.25
NZ$32.71 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Harvard University Press, 2010. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,700grams, ISBN:9780674057111
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$37.25
NZ$32.71 Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$32.30
NZ$9.65 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press, 2010-11-15. paperback. Very Good. 6x1x9. Softcover. Very Good condition. Free of any markings and no writings inside. Clear Text. Minor shelf-wear. For any additional information or pictures, please inquire.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$32.30
NZ$9.65 Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$33.88
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Belknap Press, 2010-11-15. Reprint. paperback. Used: Good. 6.25x1.50x9.25. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$33.88
Free Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$36.55
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press, 2010-11-15. Reprint. paperback. Good. 9.3X6.2X1.7. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$36.55
Free Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$41.27
NZ$10.77 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Cambrige, MA: Belknap / Harvard, 2009. Trade Paperback. Very Good. A clean, unmarked book with a tight binding. 540 pages.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$41.27
NZ$10.77 Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories

On the Origin of Stories

by Brian Boyd, Umberto Eco, Paul A. Bové, Walter Benjamin, Michael W. Jennings, Edmund Jephcott, Anahid Nersessian, Umberto Eco

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
NZ$44.99
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Paperback. NEW. US Standard Edition. We will ship same day or next day with trackable delivery method. Expedited Shipping Available. We don't entertain INTERNATIONAL orders ATM. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$44.99
Free Delivery to USA
On the Origin Of Stories
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin Of Stories

by Boyd, Brian,

  • Used
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$49.42
NZ$7.16 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
like new.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$49.42
NZ$7.16 Delivery to USA
On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction
Stock photo: cover may vary

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

by Boyd, Brian

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780674057111 / 0674057112
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
NZ$66.02
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Belknap Press, 2010-11-15. Reprint. paperback. New. 6.25x1.50x9.25. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
NZ$66.02
Free Delivery to USA