문학 작품 속에 숨겨진 뇌의 비밀

초록

Recent fMRI and PET experiments reveal how the secrets of the brain are hidden in language expressions and literature, and have brought about interdisciplinary research combining the fields of literature, language and brain sciences. In this study I first investigate language expressions such as ‘love at first sight', ‘blind love', and ‘a man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears,' to show how the secrets of the brain hidden in these expressions are revealed in recent fMRI experiments. Then I introduce the sensitivity of the sense smell among the six senses, and explore how the secret of smell is hidden in remarks by King Claudius in Shakespeare's Hamlet when he exclaims “O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.” I also discuss mirror neurons and explain how they are relevant to readers' feelings of empathy as well as the image training seen in King Henry V's brilliant cry to “imitate the action of the tiger” in Henry V. Finally I investigate whether or not Korean expressions such as ‘prod a persimmon if you can not eat it.' is unique to Korean.

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