This article advances a theory of embodied literary engagement that aims to render more explicit the complex relationships between cultural experiences and biological structures. The argument presented draws on research literatures from neuroscience and evolutionary biology, which suggest that the human mind is somewhat ambiguously and widely distributed across a network of components, artifacts, processes, and relationships. These studies challenge commonsense beliefs about what constitutes the human mind and its development, which, in turn, call into question beliefs of how the human sense of self is created. Brought to studies of literary engagement, a theory of embodied learning suggests that acts of reading are social and cultural events that contribute to ongoing biological and evolutionary change.  Although partially conditioned by a text, the act of developing understanding through reading must always be considered evidence of the complex way the reader‚ sense of mind, self, collectivity and intelligence are formed and represented. The article concludes with some specific recommendations about what a theory of embodied learning suggests for the teaching and researching of literary engagement.