Madame Bovary's Ovaries: A Darwinian Look at Literature, (Paperback)

from LyndaInOregon

As one might expect from the title, this book takes a light-hearted look at the way in which biological imperatives drive the characterization and plot of many pieces of classic literature. Briefly put, that biological imperative is to send one's genes into the future, and to do so by choosing th...

from NellieMc

Quirky and Fun--not as profoundly thought-provoking as it might have been and a fair amount of repetition, but worth the reading.

from setnahkt

An adequate and readable application of evolutionary psychology to literature. The examples are all relatively simplistic; sure, selection pressure explains why Othello is jealous, why Madame Bovary is ambitious, and why the Corleone family sticks together; the problem is the authors never cautio...

from Cheryl_in_CC_NV

Ack. The epilogue, in which the authors clarify that 'literature is more than biology,' should have come first. I spent the whole time reading this book (in little bits at a time, over weeks) being frustrated with 'our genes make us do it and that's what makes for classic literature.'Well, now I ...

from lyssrose

What in novel (hee!) concept - take characters and events from literature (both classic and contemporary), and use them to illustrate various concepts of evolutionary biology. The resulting book is an engaging mix of literary analysis and evolutionary study.