December 1, 2013
MarkBernstein.org
 

Cognitive Poetics

How do we read and model fictional minds? A course at Nottingham by Peter Stockwell. Thanks, Rosemary Simpson!

Taking our best current knowledge of how our minds and language work, this course takes you through key questions of literature and reading: why do we feel anything for fictional characters? Why do we get angry, moved, irritated, annoyed or sentimental about imaginary people in imagined worlds? Why do the lives of imaginary minds living in fictional bodies seem to matter so much to readers? The answers to these questions are surprising and empowering.

The site tells us that the course lasts two weeks, and apparently meets for three hours per week. No sign of a reading list.