Lisa Zunshine  Department of English, UC Santa Barbara October 1997

Cognitive Literature Studies is a term misleading in its optimistic implication of unity. Though the application of the theories of cogntive psychology and philosophy of mind to the study of narrative on its (the narrative's) micro and macro levels is a relatively recent phenomenon, it has already generated several distinct schools of thought. The purpose of my presentation is to review some of the work done by literary theorists interested in modularity, cognitive linguistics and neuroscience. Is it important--and indeed plausible--to seek convergence between these different fields of inquiry? What underlying ssumptions can make such a convergence possible?
 
 
Lisa Zunshine is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of English at UC Santa Barbara.