The Social Mind in Literature

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Laurence M. Porter (Michigan State University)
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Since the end of the twentieth century, scholars and critics have become increasingly interested in representations of the social mind in fiction. Their premise is that studies of the novel have neglected the functioning and interaction of groups (other than the family) in prose fiction narratives. In recent world history, globalization, which has replaced the separate fiefdoms of colonial domination with a worldwide communications network, mass immigrations, and generalized economic interdependence among nations, has made successful group interaction ever more vital to human survival. Because competing forms of storytelling—theatre, cinema, television dramas—have been vibrantly creative in dramatizing social issues and group interactions ever since the Second World War, literary…

3180 words

Citation: Porter, Laurence M.. "The Social Mind in Literature". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 December 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=17667, accessed 23 April 2024.]

17667 The Social Mind in Literature 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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