4E Cognition and Eighteenth-Century Fiction: How the Novel Found Its Feet by Karin Kukkonen (review)
Jun-Xia Feng
Eighteenth-Century Studies October 12, 2021 DOI: 10.1353/ecs.2021.0114 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that the eighteenth-century novel's development can be understood through 4E cognition, which treats cognitive processes as embodied, embedded, extended, and enacted rather than purely mental, and frames the book as an inquiry into how the novel found its feet in that period. |
Abstract
The eighteenth century is a key period in the evolution of the modern European novel, during which it established itself and worked out its key stylistic and narrative traits. In 4E Cognition and Eighteenth-Century Fiction, Karin Kukkonen approaches the question of “how the novel found its feet” in the eighteenth century from the 4E perspective—that is, approaches to cognitive processes that understand them not as purely mental but also as embodied, embedded, extended, and enacted: