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Preface
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Preface vii The seeds for this book were planted at the University of Michigan in the late 1970s. I have a phobia about Bunsen burners and microscopes , so a very understanding advisor allowed me to fulfill my natural science requirement by taking four nonlaboratory classes instead of two lab courses. I chose courses in biological approaches to anthropology and psychology; that was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with the fields of learning theory and primate behavior. When I discovered that current approaches to cognitive studies incorporate both, I was immediately ready to sign on! As I worked to catch up with twenty years of advances in these fields, Howard Mancing was a constant source of information and encouragement. He shared an early version of his magnum opus on cognitive theory, “Voices in Everything,” which helped me greatly in developing my focus. I cannot thank him enough. Professor Reid Strieby introduced me to the work of Erving Goffman and has provided many hours of stimulating discussion on psychology and literature. Several people read drafts of individual chapters and provided invaluable feedback; I am grateful to Ellen Spolsky , Bruce Burningham, Cory Reed, and Nieves Romero-Diaz. Christopher Weimer helped me to better frame my explications of cognitive theory for a literary audience. Angela Curran, Amy Williamsen , Catherine Connor, and Lisa Vollendorf have also been valued supporters and sounding boards. Julio Ramirez, a neuropsychologist , provided important bibliographical suggestions and corrections to my theoretical introduction. I have benefitted from the discussions following numerous conference panels; Sidney Donnell and Emile Bergmann offered especially useful observations at the GEMELA conference at Mt. Holyoke. Mariana Erickson was a dedicated and meticulous research assistant. In Chapter 6, a portion of the material, which has now been substantially revised, appeared earlier as “Metatheater and Skepticism in Early Modern Representations of the Saint Genesius Legend ,” Comparative Literature Studies 4.1 (2005): 50–73. Copyright© 2008 by the Pennsylvania State UP. Rpt. by permission of the Pennsylvania State University Press. PSC-CUNY, the union that represents Queens College, recently negotiated a contract that supports full-year sabbaticals. I could not have undertaken such a complex project without the extended viii Preface release time; additional summer research grants from PSC were also very beneficial. I am grateful to Dean Tamara Evans and my department for approving the sabbatical and for respecting a true reprieve from college responsibilities. Susan Y. Clawson at Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures provided substantial support during the editing process, for which I am truly appreciative. I thank my parents, Charles and Dorothy Simerka, and my late father-in-law, Ken Smith, for their love and support. My husband, Steve, has provided treasured technical advice, over twenty years of encouragement, and the occasional gourmet meal to keep me going . During the five years that I have been working on this project, my daughter Rachel has been passing through her teenage years with spirit and grace, allowing me to devote sustained attention to scholarship. ...