Towards a new understanding of absorbing reading experiences

Moniek Kuijpers, Frank Hakemulder, Katalin Bálint, Miruna Doicaru, Ed Tan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterScientificpeer-review

Abstract

When reading literary narratives, we assume that readers can get absorbed in the story world and in the story’s artifice. Since most absorption research focuses primarily on popular media, virtually no attention has been paid to the possibility that literary devices such as deviation could elicit absorption experiences or that absorption could be aesthetic in nature. This chapter takes an interdisciplinary approach combining insights from media psychology, literary studies, and aesthetics to present a theoretical framework for two different varieties of narrative aesthetic absorption during reading: story world absorption and artifact absorption. We propose that these varieties mirror the distinction made by narratologists between story and discourse and the distinction made by emotion psychologists between F and A emotions.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNarrative Absorption
EditorsFrank Hakemulder, Moniek Kuijpers, Ed S. Tan, Katalin Bálint, Miruna Doicaru
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company
Chapter2
Pages29
Number of pages47
Volume27
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic) 9789027265135
ISBN (Print)9789027234162
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Towards a new understanding of absorbing reading experiences'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this