Introduction: Animal, human, art, story
Book 1: Evolution, art, and fiction. Part 1. Evolution and nature. Evolution and human nature? ; Evolution, adaptation, and adapted minds ; The evolution of intelligence ; The evolution of cooperation
Part 2. Evolution and art. Art as adaptation? ; Art as cognitive play ; Art and attention ; From tradition to innovation
Part 3. Evolution and fiction. Art, narrative, fiction ; Understanding and recalling events ; Narrative: representing events ; Fiction: inventing events ; Fiction as adaptation
Book II: From Zeus to Seuss: origins of stories. Part 4. Phylogeny: the Odyssey. Earning attention (1): natural patterns: character and plot ; Earning attention (s): open-ended patterns: ironies of structure ; The evolution of intelligence (1): in the here and now ; The evolution of intelligence (2): beyond the here and now ; The evolution of cooperation (1): expanding the circle ; The evolution of cooperation (2): punishment
Part 5. Ontogeny: Horton hears a who! Levels of explanation: universal, local, and individual ; Levels of explanation: individuality again ; Levels of explanation: particular ; Meanings
Conclusion: Retrospect and prospects: evolution, literature, criticism
Afterward: Evolution, art, story, purpose.