Scholars working in different areas of literary studies have recently developed an interest in how literature deals with the 'deep', evolutionary history of humankind. Cross-fertilizing this line of enquiry with accounts of consciousness representation in cognitive narrative theory, my essay explores literary figurations of prehistoric mentalities and their interpretive ramifications. Through two case studies, Jack London's Before Adam (1906) and William Golding's The Inheritors (1955), I examine how fictional texts may convey the difference between modern-day cognition and the psychological life of our hominid ancestors. By investigating the narrative strategies employed by London (first-person narration, embedded narrative) and Golding (internal focalization), I advance hypotheses about how such devices may guide readers' engagements with the two novellas' protagonists and shape their interpretations. I argue that, while London renders the cognitive specificity of proto-humans in purely negative terms - that is, by subtracting capacities that we tend to associate with Homo sapiens - Golding stages a complex trade-off between archaic and modern mentalities. In different ways, both London's and Golding's novellas can prompt reflection on the cognitive evolution of the Homo genus, potentially involving readers in the challenges of thinking about evolutionary phenomena.

中文翻译：

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文学原始人类

在文学研究的不同领域工作的学者最近对文学如何处理人类“深刻”的进化史产生了兴趣。我的文章将这一探究路线与认知叙事理论中的意识表征相结合，探讨了史前心态的文学形象及其解释后果。通过两个案例研究，杰克·伦敦的《亚当之前》（1906 年）和威廉·戈尔丁的《继承者》（1955 年），我研究了虚构文本如何传达现代认知与我们原始人祖先的心理生活之间的差异。通过调查伦敦（第一人称叙事、嵌入式叙事）和戈尔丁（内部聚焦）采用的叙事策略，我提出了关于这些设备如何引导读者的假设 与两位中篇小说主人公的接触并塑造他们的诠释。我认为，虽然伦敦以纯粹消极的方式呈现原始人类的认知特异性——也就是说，通过减去我们倾向于与智人相关的能力——戈尔丁在古代和现代心态之间进行了复杂的权衡。以不同的方式，伦敦和戈尔丁的中篇小说都可以促使人们反思人属的认知进化，可能让读者参与思考进化现象的挑战。通过减去我们倾向于与智人相关联的能力——戈尔丁在古代和现代心态之间进行了复杂的权衡。以不同的方式，伦敦和戈尔丁的中篇小说都可以促使人们反思人属的认知进化，可能让读者参与思考进化现象的挑战。通过减去我们倾向于与智人相关联的能力——戈尔丁在古代和现代心态之间进行了复杂的权衡。以不同的方式，伦敦和戈尔丁的中篇小说都可以促使人们反思人属的认知进化，可能让读者参与思考进化现象的挑战。