2024-03-28T10:23:19Zhttps://keep.lib.asu.edu/oai/requestoai:keep.lib.asu.edu:node-1371692021-08-11T21:09:57Zoai_pmh:all137169
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.22756
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
2014-05
35 pages
eng
Dhein, Kelle James
Eder, James
Kobes, Bernard
Cassell, Paul
Barrett, The Honors College
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Department of English
School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies
Text
The study of literature, which has traditionally been the work of the humanities, has seemingly opened up to biology in recent years through an infusion of cognitive science and evolutionary psychology. This essay examines two perspectives on the potential for reader/character identification, one perspective from cognitive/evolutionary studies, and the other from the humanities. Building on both perspectives, I propose my own notion of reader/character identification called immersive identification. I argue that fiction is especially suited to prompt readers to identify with fictional characters in an immersive way. Then, I demonstrate how different cognitive/evolutionary perspectives of fiction can accommodate my notion of immersive identification. Finally, I defend my account of immersive identification against a counterexample.
Cognitive Science
literature
Evolutionary Anthropology
Identification
Theory of Mind
Fiction
Identifying with Fictional Characters