What Does Literature Mean to the Human Species: Will It Help Us Evolve and Survive? The Garth Boomer Address 2020

The author was greatly honoured to give the Garth Boomer address in 2020. In the strange year 2020, the author "spoke" at the superbly organised online event. In this article the author restates and reframes the case for literature teaching in English classrooms across the globe by arguing for it from the perspectives of modern interpretations of Darwinian theory. The author touches on the current plague that everyone is experiencing; it is a phenomenon as old as humanity and a reminder of the fragility and singleness as a species, however 'divided' by nationalisms and populisms. What have people learnt from history and literature? That can both be explained and justified why reading literature is so important for young people by considering literature as a special source of knowledge and understanding for all human beings, one that is part of evolution and adapted minds, and a part of 'culture' -- and of a culture that is itself evolving quite rapidly.