Reader reactions to psychological perspective [*] *
Effects of narratorial stance
In this study, we used latent variable analysis to distinguish two components of reader reactions to narrative
fiction: Evaluative reaction is the extent to which a character is seen as reasonable and rational, and experiential reaction is
the extent to which the reader feels similar to and identifies with the character. We found that evaluative reaction was more
negative when mental access to the character was provided, while experiential reaction was decreased by the use of a first-person
(as opposed to third-person) narrator. These results were explained in terms of the additional cognitive processing engendered by
the these narrative techniques. In particular, we hypothesized that a paucity of mental access leads readers to make their own
inferences about the character’s mental state, while the use of third-person narration leads readers to draw on their personal
experience in order to appreciate the circumstances of the character.
Article outline
- Method
- Results
- Discussion
- Note
-
References
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Cited by (1)
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Kosch, Lukas, Annika Schwabe, Hajo Boomgaarden & Günther Stocker
2024.
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Journal of Literary Theory 18:1
► pp. 67 ff.
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