Microplots : The case ofSwan Lake.
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abstract
My hypothesis is that art reflects and exploits patterns of differential interest shaped by natural selection.Swan Lake demonstrates how little plot material is required for an evening-long work of art. Examination of this and other ballets suggests that the scenario is closer to the core of a production than the more changeable music and dance are. This narrative minimum is composed of different behavioral tendencies familiar to sociobiological inquiry. Set into a matrix of counterpoising forces, these biases generate enormous interest, helping us to account for the ritualistic status of the artistic canon.
