(Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance)
by Nicholas R. Helms (Author)
Cognition, Mindreading, and Shakespeare's Characters brings
cognitive science to Shakespeare, applying contemporary theories of
mindreading to Shakespeare’s construction of character. Building on the
work of the philosopher Alvin Goldman and cognitive literary critics
such as Bruce McConachie and Lisa Zunshine, Nicholas Helms uses the
language of mindreading to analyze inference and imagination throughout
Shakespeare’s plays, dwelling at length on misread minds in King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare manipulates the mechanics of misreading to cultivate an
early modern audience of adept mindreaders, an audience that continues
to contemplate the moral ramifications of Shakespeare’s characters even
after leaving the playhouse. Using this cognitive literary approach,
Helms reveals how misreading fuels Shakespeare’s enduring popular appeal
and investigates the ways in which Shakespeare’s characters can both
corroborate and challenge contemporary cognitive theories of the human
mind.
