Why We Read Fiction

Lisa Zunshine

About this book

<i>Why We Read Fiction</i> offers a lucid overview of the most exciting area of research in contemporary cognitive psychology known as "Theory of Mind" and discusses its implications for literary studies. It covers a broad range of fictional narratives, from Richardson's<i> Clarissa</i>, Dostoyevski's <i>Crime and Punishment</i>, and Austen's <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> to Woolf's <i>Mrs. Dalloway</i>, Nabokov's <i>Lolita</i>, and Hammett's<i> The Maltese Falcon</i>. Zunshine's surprising new interpretations of well-known literary texts and popular cultural representations constantly prod her readers to rethink their own interest in fictional narrative. Written for a general audience, this study provides a jargon-free introduction to the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field known as cognitive approaches to literature and culture.