Cognitive Sciences and Iain Banks’s Novels: The Wasp Factory and Use of Weapons

The aim of this paper is to discuss Iain Banks’s Use of Weapons (1990) and Wasp Factory (1984) in the context of the presentation of the workings of the human mind in both novels – paying special attention to the relationships this presentation has with the major breakthroughs made in the field of c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPolish journal of English studies Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 71 - 88
Main Author Katarzyna Fetlińska
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Polish Association for the Study of English 01.06.2016
Subjects
cognitive sciences
consciousness
dualism
iain banks
mind
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The aim of this paper is to discuss Iain Banks’s Use of Weapons (1990) and Wasp Factory (1984) in the context of the presentation of the workings of the human mind in both novels – paying special attention to the relationships this presentation has with the major breakthroughs made in the field of cognitive sciences. Thus, I will provide a brief analysis of how the discoveries made in cognitive sciences have transformed common ideas about consciousness and humanness. Subsequently, I shall analyse the way in which Iain Banks examines the workings of the human mind, as well as investigates the topic of humanness. In this essay I shall argue that Iain Banks’s novels are preoccupied with discussing and demolishing dualisms, such as mind/body, emotions/reason, or nature/culture: this phenomenon is, according to me, likely to be correlated with the ideas popularised by the discoveries made in the field of cognitive sciences.
ISSN:2545-0131
2543-5981