Neurocomputational Poetics: How the Brain Processes Verbal Art

Neurocomputational Poetics is a new field that combines cognitive poetics, data science, and neuroscience to uncover the secrets of verbal art reception and explain how readers understand and like literary texts. It aims to change the view that literary reading is too complex for accurate computational prediction of neuronal, experiential, and behavioral aspects of reader responses.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 14 November 2023
Publisher: Anthem Press

Neurocomputational Poetics is a groundbreaking field that combines cognitive poetics, data science, and neuroscience to explore the mysteries of verbal art reception and understand how readers engage with literary texts. For centuries, the subjective nature of verbal art reception has made it challenging for quantitative scientific studies, and many scholars in the humanities and neurosciences believe that literary reading is too complex to accurately predict neuronal, experiential, and behavioral responses of readers to texts. This book aims to challenge this perception and shed light on the intricate mechanisms that underpin the cognitive processes involved in literary reading.

In the past, the study of verbal art reception has often been viewed as too subjective for rigorous scientific analysis. However, Neurocomputational Poetics seeks to bridge this gap by employing advanced computational techniques to analyze the neural, experiential, and behavioral responses of readers to literary texts. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and behavioral tracking, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of the brain mechanisms that underpin literary perception and interpretation.

One of the key insights of Neurocomputational Poetics is that literary reading is not merely a passive process of decoding symbols but rather a dynamic and interactive one. Readers engage with literary texts through a complex interplay of cognitive processes, including attention, memory, imagination, and interpretation. The book explores how these cognitive processes interact with the structural and linguistic features of texts to shape readers' experiences and interpretations.

For example, Neurocomputational Poetics suggests that readers actively construct meaning from the text by drawing on their prior knowledge, experiences, and cultural backgrounds. The brain processes involved in this construction include semantic mapping, which links words and phrases to their corresponding meanings, and narrative comprehension, which enables readers to follow the flow of a story and understand its overall structure.

Moreover, Neurocomputational Poetics emphasizes the role of emotions in literary reading. Emotions play a crucial role in shaping readers' experiences and interpretations of texts, and the book explores how emotions are processed and integrated by the brain during the reading process. For instance, research has shown that emotions can activate specific brain regions, such as the amygdala and theinsula, which are associated with the processing of fear, anger, and joy, respectively.

Neurocomputational Poetics also sheds light on the social and cultural dimensions of literary reading. The book explores how readers' social and cultural backgrounds influence their interpretation of texts and how literary works can reflect and challenge societal norms and values. For example, feminist literary criticism has shown how literary works can challenge patriarchal structures and promote gender equality, while postcolonial literature has explored the impact of colonialism on cultural identity and representation.

In conclusion, Neurocomputational Poetics is a groundbreaking field that offers a new perspective on the cognitive processes involved in literary reading. By combining cognitive poetics, data science, and neuroscience, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of how readers engage with literary texts and how these processes are shaped by the brain. This knowledge has the potential to transform our understanding of literature and its impact on human cognition and behavior.

Neurocomputational Poetics is a groundbreaking field that combines cognitive poetics, data science, and neuroscience to explore the mysteries of verbal art reception and understand how readers engage with literary texts.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 159 x 236 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839987700