Evolutionary Criticism

Karshan, Thomas

doi:10.1093/escrit/cgp015

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Marx, Foucoult, and Fairclough), later studies of CDA have been on a wide range of critical references, one of which is evolution (see Karshan, 2009). Evolution now takes its place in criticism (see Karshan, 2009 andAbel &Sementelli, 2005 for evolutionary criticism; O'Halloran, 2005 for a critical discourse analysis with evolutionary perspective etc.). Accordingly, many of our behaviors or statements are shaped by our ancestral past.…”

Section: Evolutionary Criticism To Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

Altruism, Love, and Justice in Beowulf: A Critical Discourse Analysis with an Evolutionary Perspective

Şeker

2021

Söylem Filoloji Dergisi

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In this paper, the projections of the evolutionary archetypes in discursive and narrative texts are analyzed through Critical Discourse Analysis with an evolutionary perspective of not only natural selection but also sexual selection. Accordingly, contents such as altruism, love and justice which refer to uneconomical and superfluous human behaviors in terms of natural selection but certifiable in terms of sexual selection were analyzed, categorized, compared, and contrasted in discursive and narrative texts quoted from the old English epic poem 'Beowulf'. For this purpose, the epic poem was initially identified in terms of two level of texts: narrative and discursive texts which were identified on the basis of their grammatical contents such as person, modality, and tense as well as space and time references. Next, the distribution of the concepts related to altruism, love, and justice as well as their synonyms, or closely related lexemes such as selfishness, sex, and interest in narrative and discursive texts were identified and categorized. Finally, these qualitative findings were compared, contrasted, and criticized through evolutionary archetypes. In conclusion, contents such as altruism, love and justice which refer to uneconomical and superfluous human behaviors in terms of natural selection but certifiable in terms of sexual selection were largely found to be used in the discursive text. However, originally pragmatist contents such as utility, sex, and interest which refer to our evolutionary subluminal experiences were largely found to be used in the narrative text. That is to say, discursive contents contradict with our evolutionary background but conforms to the political or sexual strategies, seeking 'will to power' or 'will to mate'. This study is significant not only because the literary data were discussed through an evolutionary critical analysis but also because it identifies a clear distinction between discourse and narrative on the basis of conceptual manipulation.

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Section: Evolutionary Criticism To Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

Altruism, Love, and Justice in Beowulf: A Critical Discourse Analysis with an Evolutionary Perspective

Şeker

2021

Söylem Filoloji Dergisi

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Motherhood, evolutionary psychology and mirror neurons or: ‘Grammar is politics by other means’

Lesnik-Oberstein

2015

Feminist Theory

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Through a close analysis of socio-biologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's work on motherhood and 'mirror neurons' it is argued that Hrdy's claims exemplify how research that ostensibly bases itself on neuroscience, including in literary studies 'literary Darwinism', relies after all not on scientific, but on political assumptions, namely on underlying, unquestioned claims about the autonomous, transparent, liberal agent of consumer capitalism. These underpinning assumptions, it is further argued, involve the suppression or overlooking of an alternative, prior tradition of feminist theory, including feminist science criticism.

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Evolutionary Criticism

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Altruism, Love, and Justice in Beowulf: A Critical Discourse Analysis with an Evolutionary Perspective

Altruism, Love, and Justice in Beowulf: A Critical Discourse Analysis with an Evolutionary Perspective

Motherhood, evolutionary psychology and mirror neurons or: ‘Grammar is politics by other means’

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