Jeremy Richards (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jeremyrichards) wrote,@ 2008-02-12 11:57:00 |
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When our quick minds lie still ...
Reading Shakespeare has dramatic effect on human brain
Reading Shakespeare has dramatic effect on human brain
Shakespeare uses a linguistic technique known as functional shift that involves, for example using a noun to serve as a verb. Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence. This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.It's intriguing, certainly, but Shakespeare seems to be more of a mascot than a singular prompt. Wouldn't any poetic syntax with similar tropes provoke such a response? I've written before about novelty, perception, and the neuroscience of apprehension, and this only seems to confirm the obvious: The unexpected but inevitable will always ring familiar bells with unfamiliar tones, whether it's Shakespeare, Joyce, Bishop, or a particularly good Laffy Taffy--though, granted, the nostalgia of that chewy green apple sensation may send the EEG off the charts.
