PROPER AND DARK HEROES AS DADS AND CADS.pdfVIP

05ch/Kruger 9/12/03 13:39 Page 305 Kitty’s SD Aldine Human Nature Vol. 14#3 168020 PROPER AND DARK HEROES AS DADS AND CADS Alternative Mating Strategies in British Romantic Literature Daniel J. Kruger Maryanne Fisher University of Michigan York University Ian Jobling Buffalo, New York Empirical tests described in this article support hypotheses derived from evolutionary theory on the perceptions of literary characters. The proper and dark heroes in British Romantic literature of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries respectively represent long-term and short- term mating strategies. Recent studies indicate that for long-term rela- tionships, women seek partners with the ability and willingness to sustain paternal investment in extended relationships. For short-term re- lationships, women choose partners whose features indicate high genetic quality. In hypothetical scenarios, females preferred proper heroes for long-term relationships. The shorter the relationship under consideration, the more likely women were to choose dark heroes as partners. KEY WORDS: Darwinian literary studies; Life history; Mating strategy; Sexual selection It is difficult to make progress in literary studies because, unlike scientists, literary scholars do not base the