Why Lyrics Last: Evolution, Cognition, and Shakespeare's Sonnets

by Brian Boyd

Book Overview

In Why Lyrics Last, the internationally acclaimed critic Brian Boyd turns an evolutionary lens on the subject of lyric verse. He finds that lyric making, though it presents no advantages for the species in terms of survival and reproduction, is "universal across cultures because it fits constraints of the human mind." An evolutionary perspective-- especially when coupled with insights from aesthetics and literary history--has much to tell...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674065646
• ISBN13: 9780674065642
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.4"