Chapter 4 adds a further theoretical dimension, making connections between the relevance-theoretic notion of interpretive use and the concept of metarepresentation from evolutionary psychology. Metarepresentation is the capacity to represent other representations, for example, to think about thoughts or utterances, and in this sense interpretive use is a public and communicative version of metarepresentation. The ability to understand other minds – known as theory of mind – is a related metarepresentational capacity which humans develop from an early age. Metarepresentation is related to other adaptive cognitive activities such as pretend play and simulation. These activities are decoupled from thoughts held as beliefs and are useful in various ways. The ability to engage in these activities is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation which confers advantage for humans. This chapter argues that the creation of fiction and the creation of narrative and character voices offer exercise for metarepresentational capacities in complex, embedded and extended ways. The chapter is largely theoretical, but the argument is supported with brief reference to Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. This novel illustrates the idea of metarepresentation in a number of ways, including the ironic representation of characters’ thoughts and a broader parodic representation of Gothic fiction.

Chapter 9 examines how the Odyssey has been continuously reimagined across nearly three millennia, from Dante to contemporary film and literature. It explores how each generation has found in Odysseus’ journey a framework for understanding war trauma, exile, diaspora, and displacement, demonstrating that the epic endures not as a fixed text but as a living narrative that speaks to experiences of loss, return, and the ongoing struggle to rebuild meaning after catastrophe.

An evolutionary perspective seeks to identify the ultimate evolutionary reasons why humans have evolved the predisposition to develop depressive symptoms, often as a response to specific circumstances or life events. For such psychobehavioral depressive adaptations to have evolved, similar circumstances should have arisen frequently enough in the human evolutionary history. Viewing depression symptoms as evolved responses to specific life adversities or other evolutionarily relevant circumstances contrasts with the traditional view in psychiatry of viewing depression symptoms primarily as indicators of disorder, associating them with distress or impairment. In contrast, an evolutionary psychoneuroimmunological perspective recognizes the possibility that some depressive symptoms can sometimes be beneficial by helping an individual cope with the adaptive problem that triggered their mood change. Yet people with unhealthy western lifestyles are more likely than ancestral humans to suffer from low-grade systemic inflammation and chronic stress, which can make adaptive depressive symptoms either too strong or chronic. A mixture of adaptive depressive symptoms and symptoms of sickness behavior can create prolonged episodes of depression that would be much less likely to arise in absence of low-grade systemic inflammation and chronic stress. For this reason, many instances of chronic depression may be maladaptive in contemporary depressogenic environments.

Pipe Dream (1955), though a commercial and (according to its creators) artistic failure, nonetheless has many innovative features. More a Zeitoper than an optimistic Broadway musical, its picaresque characters include a female romantic lead who in the source material is a sex worker. Based on two novels by John Steinbeck, Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, the musical’s lyrical style was at odds with the social commentary inherent in the plot. Although Hammerstein softened the hardest-hitting aspects of Steinbeck’s novels, the characters were still too atypical for what audiences (and critics) expected from Rodgers and Hammerstein. Playing Fauna, who runs the local brothel, was opera singer Helen Traubel. Rodgers and Hammerstein hoped that by casting an opera singer in this role, it would give the character additional gravitas. With Pipe Dream, Rodgers and Hammerstein continued their legacy of expanding what a musical could be and do.

Chapter 4 develops a framework for understanding how multinational corporations (MNCs) manage climate risks. It identifies five distinct strategies: accepting the risk as a cost of doing business, adapting through proactive investments or compliance measures, transferring risk to other actors, diversifying operations geographically, and avoiding risk by limiting exposure to vulnerable regions. After outlining the logic and trade-offs of each approach, the chapter investigates whether firms systematically avoid the countries that are most exposed to climate threats. Using cross-national data on foreign direct investment, the analysis explores variation across sectors and dimensions of climate vulnerability, such as ecosystem, infrastructure, and water-related risks. The findings demonstrate that MNCs avoid climate-vulnerable countries, while also showing that firms’ risk management strategies vary by sector and climate risk type.

Based on C. Y. Lee’s novel The Flower Drum Song, Flower Drum Song (1958) is significant in the history of Broadway for its inclusion of Asian heritage characters and, likewise, a predominantly Asian cast. The story concerns Chinese immigration to San Francisco, assimilation and intergenerational relations. Directed by Gene Kelly and with a book co-written by Hammerstein and Joseph Fields, the cast included Miyoshi Umeki (who reprised the lead role in the 1961 film version), Pat Suzuki, Jack Soo and the African American actor Juanita Hall. The chapter also discusses David Henry Hwang’s revised version, which opened on Broadway in 2002 starring Lea Salonga.

This chapter employs the concept of ‘adaptative dramaturgy’ to explore the three television versions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original television musical Cinderella, the original 1957 version starring Julie Andrews, the 1965 version starring Lesley Ann Warren and the 1997 version starring Brandy Norwood. In addition to casting and the various interpretations of the lead role in terms of physicality and vocality, the authors apply adaptive dramaturgy to the opening scene, Cinderella’s ‘In My Own Little Corner’, Cinderella and the prince’s ‘Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful’ and Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother’s ‘Impossible – It’s Possible’. Selected stage adaptations are also discussed.

This chapter interrogates the themes of grief and brokenness that lie beneath the colourful surfaces of happiness and celebration in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s only original film musical, State Fair. It explores connections between Philip Stong’s 1932 novel, its 1933 film version and both versions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s film musical, the first from 1945 starring Dick Haymes and Vivian Blane and the second from 1962 with Pat Boone and Ann-Margret. The chapter contextualises the films within the worlds of state fairs and, for the 1962 version, the space race. It also investigates themes of progress, rural America and generational differences.

Urbanization has evolved from a symbol of human progress to a global force reshaping the Earth system. Cities, once founded in resource-rich environments, now expand into marginal areas, relying heavily on distant resources and energy-intensive infrastructure. This growth intensifies climate change, disrupts biogeochemical cycles, and creates profound challenges for water resources. Cities also hold potential as centers of adaptation and mitigation of global environmental change. As urban populations rise, understanding and managing the interactions between urban ecosystems and the Earth system are crucial for ensuring a resilient and healthy future for the majority of Earth's population.

Chapter 11 synthesizes the book’s insights, emphasizing that policymaking is dynamic, interactive, and iterative. Key challenges facing contemporary governance include path dependency, uncertainty, conflicting values, learning barriers, and capacity constraints. The chapter calls for investment in policy capacity, cross-sectoral collaboration, and evidence-based decision-making, and explores abductive reasoning and practical judgment as tools for navigating complexity and ambiguity. It argues for enhancing technical analysis with political acumen and for organizational cultures that support continuous learning.