Complexities of Cognition in Poetic Art: Matthew Arnold's 'The Last Word'

Abstract

As researchers in cognitive studies increasingly turn toward the fine arts and literature as a means of exploring the cognitive complexities of human thought, questions arise as to what exactly cognitive science can offer literary expertise, and how literary expertise might illuminate the workings of the human mind. Much theoretical and methodological work has already been accomplished in addressing these questions, and it is not my intention in this essay to cover the same ground. Rather, by looking at one example of poetry, Matthew Arnold's The Last Word, I aim to show the importance of understanding the cognitive complexities of poetic art for exploring both the nature of human minding and the nature of poetic expression.