Representation and Immersion. The Embodied Meaning of Literature
Gestalt Theory April 1, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.2478/gth-2019-0019 via DOAJ
Summary
Immersive literary reading intensifies the embodied experience of artistic, mental, and neural representations, aligning with neuropsychological findings on embodied cognition. The article defines immersion as an altered state of consciousness and examines the interpretive style it demands, along with its ethical and ecological implications.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Immersive reading intensifies embodied experience of literary representation and carries ethical and ecological dimensions. |
Abstract
This article explores the relations among three forms of representations (artistic, mental, and neural) and immersion, considered as an altered state of consciousness, in the context of literary reading. We first define immersive reading as an intensification of our embodied experience of literary representation, in accordance to neuropsychological studies about embodied cognition. We further consider the style of interpretation demanded by such immersive reading and its ethical and ecological underpinnings.