Public lecture - On narrative: Fiction and the brain

Liam Durcan, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University. The lecture will address the premise that, despite the superficial disparities between science and art, in this case medicine and literature, the aims and even the methods of the two pursuits are often strikingly similar. From the increasing influence neuroscience is having on literary theory to the recognition of the importance of narrative in medical training, the boundary between the disciplines is becoming less firmly entrenched, resulting in a growing awareness that each pursuit can be enriched by an appreciation and understanding of the other.