Friday, June 09, 2006

Ever wonder ...

... why we read fiction? I haven't actually, and I'm not inclined to buy what's being served up in What's Your Favorite Novel? (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

This sounds pretty tautological to me:
"Theory of Mind," writes Zunshine toward the end of her book, "is a cluster of cognitive adaptations that allows us to navigate our social world and also structures that world. Intensely social species that we are, we thus read fiction because it engages, in a variety of particularly focused ways, our Theory of Mind."

We think because we have a mind that enables us to and we like stories that engage said mind. That tells you a hell of a lot, I must say.

And with that, I have to get to work preparing another workshop.

2 comments:

  1. I read for the same reason that I watch movies...to be entertained!

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  2. Michael Allen (Grumpy Old Bookman) says that the writer should aim to "arouse emotion" in the reader. He likes reading books that arouse emotion.
    Seems a reasonable definition to me, at least I understand it ;-)

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