The question of the role of literature is often presented in the context of cultural value and considered through the prism of cultural action independent of the biological underpinning of a human being. Considered in a cultural context, the role of literature has changed throughout history and has always been given new forms, it played with the old ones, varied the themes and the literary conventions. Every civilization gave a certain role to literature, ascribed to it certain features, set a certain place and role for it in the wider space of culture. However, every civilization had a certain drive for a way of representing things; expressing of a state or a description of a phenomenon, for certain basic fictional forms, for stories based on untrue events. This text aims to critically present the biocultural approach to literature which tries to find the foundation for interpreting literature, but also for its role in the development of the human beings, in the theory of evolution. The book On the Origin of Stories by Brian Boyd serves as an entry point to what is called the biocultural approach and its main points, and then we shall present the main points of the memetic theory first introduced by Dawkins, who is followed by Susan Blackmore and her specific departure from the initial definition of the meme. Finally, a critical review of the presented theories is given.