Disrupted Intersubjectivity

This cognitive thematic reading of Ian McEwan’s fiction is a sympathetic and enlightening approach to several of the author’s novels, importantly enriched by Ionescu’s scrupulous application of philosophical and cognitive theories. His exhaustive attention to a very broad range of sources in philosophical and scientific epistemological theory makes the book more than a reading of a single author, but also a reference source for the interdisciplinary field of cognitive literary theory and criticism. The combination of wide and responsible reading in ancillary fields of study with McEwan’s well-known and well-respected fiction makes this book a good place for readers new to this growing area of literary study to begin learning about it. * Ellen Spolsky, Professor Emerita, Department of English, Bar-Ilan University, Israel *
This book makes a striking and welcome addition to the burgeoning field of cognitive literary studies. Ionescu reads Ian McEwan’s fiction with great sensitivity, critical acumen, and a sure grasp of recent developments in and around that field. His chosen descriptive-diagnostic categories of ‘paralysis’ and ‘invasion’ are introduced and applied to revelatory effect, along with his shrewd deployment of ideas from philosophy of mind, epistemology and cognitive science. Above all Ionescu has the gift of moving easily between textual commentary and philosophical meta-commentary, a way of reading that brings numerous insights and a rare depth of critical grasp. While avoiding any risk of invasive treatment – to adopt his own term – this study addresses a complex body of fictional work with the utmost intelligence and care. * Christopher Norris, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Cardiff University, UK *