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Narrative Absorption
Edited by Frank Hakemulder, Moniek M. Kuijpers, Ed S. Tan, Katalin Bálint and Miruna M. Doicaru
[Linguistic Approaches to Literature 27] 2017
► pp. 11–27

Chapter 1
Beyond metaphors and traditions

Exploring the conceptual boundaries of narrative engagement

| University of Augsburg
| Bowling Green State University

Scholars have used a range of labels to describe the subjective experience of entering a narrative and losing awareness of the actual, immediate world (e.g., absorption, transportation, engagement). This chapter begins by considering these labels at metaphorical and conceptual levels, suggesting that metaphoric descriptions of the phenomena are insufficient for understanding the experience at conceptual and theoretical levels. The chapter then conceptually describes constructs that are central to research on narrative engagement and locates them as core to a narrative experience, partially overlapping with narrative experience or distinct from but correlated with the experience. It concludes with considerations related to the measurement of different aspects of experiences with narratives.

Keywords: narrative engagement, transportation, absorption, immersion, narrative comprehension, narrative persuasion, enjoyment, flow, realism, mental models
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Metaphorical and traditional levels of distinction
    • 2.1Metaphorical levels
    • 2.2Traditional levels
  • 3.The conceptual level of distinction
    • 3.1Core narrative experience: Transportation, narrative engagement, absorption
    • 3.2Partial overlap with the core narrative experience: Flow, presence, and identification
    • 3.3Correlates of the core narrative experience: Realism and enjoyment
    • 3.4True difference to the core narrative experience: Involvement
  • 4.Measurement of narrative experience
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 9 November 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lal.27.02bil
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