The moral laboratory : experiments examining the effects of reading literature on social perception and moral self-concept
The idea that reading literature changes the reader seems as old as literature itself. Through the ages philosophers, writers, and literary scholars have suggested it affects norms, empathic ability, self-concept, beliefs, etc. This book examines what we actually know about these effects. And it finds strong evidence for the old claims. However, it remains unclear what aspects of the reading experience are responsible for these effects. Applying methods of the social sciences to this particular problem of literary theory, this book presents a psychological explanation based upon the conception
1 online resource (ix, 205 pages)
9781556196805, 9789027222237, 9789027298546, 1556196806, 9027222231, 9027298548
70740674
THE MORAL LABORATORY; Editorial page; Title page; LCC page; Dedication; Contents; Chapter 1. Apologies; Chapter 2. Changing Readers; Chapter 3. A Blueprint for Moral Laboratories; Chapter 4. Understanding Others; Chapter 5. Moral Self-knowledge; Chapter 6. Summary and Conclusion; Appendix; References; Index of names; Index of terms; The Series UTRECHT PUBLICATIONS IN GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE