Graphing Jane Austen: Paleolithic Politics in British Novels of the 19 th Century

Website questionnaire on 2,000 characters from 202 British novels of the longer 19 th century 1,494 protocols completed Separate website for Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge (124 protocols completed) 441 individual characters profiled and graphed Joseph Carroll, Jonathan Gottschall, John Johnson, Daniel Kruger

Research Design Content of characters: Sex Age Attractiveness Personality Motives Mate Selection Criteria Responses of readers: Emotional responses Do you want the character to succeed? Is the character’s success a main feature of the story? Role assignment: Is the character: a protagonist ? an antagonist ? a good minor character ? or a bad minor character ? Designs of the author Ethos of individual novels Ethos of a whole culture (end here) (start here)

Original Motives Dominance Constructive EffortRomanceSubsistenceNurture Survival0.80 Routine work0.76 Short-term mating Long-term mating0.83 Wealth Power0.89 Prestige0.89 Help non-kin Education0.77 Make friends0.62 Building/Creating0.73 Help offspring/kin Motives Reduced to Five Motive Factors (loadings greater than.3 or -.3)

Extrinsic Attributes Intrinsic Qualities Physical Attractiveness Power0.89 Prestige0.91 Wealth0.88 Reliability0.85 Kindness0.85 Intelligence0.78 Physical Attractiveness0.98 Seven Long-Term Mate-Selection Criteria Reduced to Three Factors (loadings greater than.3 or -.3) Original Criteria

FIVE PERSONALITY FACTORS Extraversion ---- assertiveness and sociability Agreeableness ---- warmth and affiliative behavior Conscientiousness ---- organization and reliability Emotional Stability ---- calmness and evenness of temper Openness to Experience ---- curiosity or mental liveliness

10 Emotional Responses Reduced to Three Emotional Response Factors (loadings greater than.3 or -.3) Original EmotionsDislikeSorrowInterest Anger0.86 Disgust0.89 Contempt0.83 Fear of character0.72 Admiration Liking Fear for character0.77 Sadness0.83 Amusement Indifference-0.86

CONCLUSION The adaptive function of agonistic structure.

Agonistic structure mirrors the basic political dynamic in egalitarian hunter-gatherer cultures.

The novels serve as a medium for readers to participate in an egalitarian social ethos. The novels help create the ethos that governs the society of its readers. That ethos enables people to cooperate as a social unit. The novels extend cultural practices that in oral cultures require face-to-face interaction.

The adaptive function of literature is centrally important to our understanding of the evolved and adapted character of human nature.

Thanks for your attention.

Graphing Jane Austen Joe Carroll, Jon Gottschall, John Johnson, Dan Kruger