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Such Stuff as Dreams
The Psychology of Fiction
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Check link for latest rating. ( 103 ratings, 22 reviews)
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Such Stuff as Dreams
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book is ideal for readers interested in the intersection of literature, psychology, and neuroscience, including students, academics, and anyone curious about how fiction shapes the mind and social understanding.
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See moreSuch Stuff as Dreams explores how fiction works in the brains and imagination of both readers and writers. In this ground-breaking work, Oatley richly illustrates how fiction represents, at its core, a model that readers construct in collaboration with the writer.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Such Stuff as Dreams: The Psychology of Fiction explores how fiction works in the brains and imagination of both readers and writers.
- Demonstrates how reading fiction can contribute to a greater understanding of, and the ability to change, ourselves.
- Informed by the latest psychological research which focuses on, for example, how identification with fictional characters occurs, and how literature can improve social abilities.
- Explores traditional aspects of fiction, including character, plot, setting, and theme, as well as a number of classic techniques, such as metaphor, metonymy, defamiliarization, and cues.
- Includes extensive end-notes, which ground the work in psychological studies.
- Features excerpts from fiction which are discussed throughout the text, including works by William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Kate Chopin, Anton Chekhov, James Baldwin, and others.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Such Stuff as Dreams is praised for its remarkable breadth, covering topics from reader experience to the writing process and communication about fiction. It is lauded for its rich diversity of concepts and studies, offering a well-informed exploration into a neglected research area. Critics highlight Oatley's skillful guidance through the science behind fiction, noting how the book demonstrates fiction's power to evoke emotions in new contexts, helping readers learn about their emotions and themselves.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780470974575
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 July 2011
Country: United States
Imprint: John Wiley & Sons Inc
Audience: Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 431g
Pages: 304
About the Author
Keith Oatley is Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Toronto. He is the co-author of Understanding Emotions (Blackwell, 2006), the most widely used textbook on this subject, and has written three works of fiction, including The Case of Emily V. (1993), which won the 1994 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel.
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