Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence with Jane Austen

by Wendy Jones Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Overview

Why is Jane Austen so phenomenally popular? Why do we read Pride and Prejudice again and again? Why do we delight in Emma's mischievous schemes? Why do we care that Anne Elliot of Persuasion suffers?



We care because it is our biological destiny to be interested in people and their stories-the human brain is a social brain. And Austen's characters are so believable, that for many of us, they are not just imaginary beings, but friends whom we know and love. And thanks to Austen's ability to capture the breadth and depth of human psychology so thoroughly, we feel that she empathizes with us, her readers.



Humans have a profound need for empathy, to know that we are not alone with our joys and sorrows. And then there is attachment, denial, narcissism, and of course, love, to name a few. We see ourselves and others reflected in Austen's work.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

10/30/2017
Being a Jane Austen fanatic isn’t required for appreciating this fascinating book; Jones, a psychotherapist and former English professor, will win over the initially unconverted by the book’s end. Austen’s appeal, according to Jones, comes largely from her acute social intelligence. This attribute encompasses both “automatic and nonconscious” and “fully conscious and self-reflective awareness.” Empathy is one hallmark of it; “mentalizing,” an understanding that “other people have minds,” is the second. The book engages with neuroscience, psychology, and psychotherapy, using Austen’s characters as case studies. Jones explains that “emotions are subcortical brain-body reactions that become feelings” when “consciously experienced.” Thus, in Pride and Prejudice, when Elizabeth Bennett is surprised by Mr. Darcy at Pemberly, her blush is the physiological expression (emotion) of her embarrassment (feeling). Jones also explores Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel’s work, which found that neurons change as the result of experience, applying his finding to how Marianne Dashwood, in Pride and Prejudice, recovers from depression after being jilted by a suitor. Readers will find this book well worth the generous investment of time required and finish it better informed about both the science behind human behavior and the artistry behind Austen’s work. Agent: Laura Wood, FinePrint. (Dec.)

Historical Novels Review

"Jones has created an absorbing study of the ways our most beloved characters teach us about human interactions and social settings. An accessible introduction to the science of mind and the history of behavioral psychology, written in a warm, engaging, personal style."

Paste (Best Books of December)

"Brilliantly original and insightful, this fusion of psychology, neuroscience, and literature provides a heightened understanding of one of our most beloved cultural institutions—and our own minds."

New York Times Book Review (New & Noteworthy)

"A psychotherapist and an English professor, Jones wears both hats simultaneously to describe why Jane Austen’s novels appeal to the human brain, which craves sociability."

Real Simple

"Drawing on psychology and neuroscience, Jones shows that Austen’s works were ahead of their time in terms of how they portrayed social relationships. In other words, it offers a scientific explanation for why we’re so obsessed with Emma, Elizabeth, and Anne."

Booklist

"A fascinating mash-up of literary analysis and neuroscience. Highly recommended for Austenites and pop-psychology fans, as both will find plenty of original, acute concepts to pore over."

Booklist

"A fascinating mash-up of literary analysis and neuroscience. Highly recommended for Austenites and pop-psychology fans, as both will find plenty of original, acute concepts to pore over."

Louis Cozolino

A wonderful and unique contribution to social neuroscience. The combined writings of Wendy Jones and Jane Austen are a feast for the both hemispheres.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170157143
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	12/05/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,057,951

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