Abstract
In the previous chapter we used the meme-based theory of tradition and inheritance to develop an approach to the very difficult problem of aesthetics, concluding that the menemonic-aesthetic fitness of a meme-plex is an important contributing factor to that meme-plex’s tendency to be reproduced in its own form. We postulated a relationship between memorability and aesthetic stimulation, and inferred that the phenomenon of feature interlink across the levels of a morphological and semantic hierarchy is correlated both with aesthetic pleasure and the likelihood of a memeplex’s being reproduced in its own form. The meme-based approach to aesthetics enabled us to separate out distinct features of meme-plexes (specifically, three wisdom poems from the Exeter Book) and analyze the interrelation of these elements. Selection pressure on the aesthetic elements of an artform leads to evolution of forms that fit human minds in the matrices of specific cultures. Forms can at least in part be accounted for by the interaction of human perception, cognition, and memory with evolving cultural entities: patterns in the former influence patterns in the latter.
Imitatio autem (nam saepous idem dicam) non sit tantum in verbis.
Quintilian.1
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Notes
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© 2013 Michael D. C. Drout
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Drout, M.D.C. (2013). Adaptive Landscapes, Cognitive Prototypes, and Genre. In: Tradition and Influence in Anglo-Saxon Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137324603_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137324603_5
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