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Such Stuff as Dreams

The Psychology of Fiction
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( 103 ratings, 22 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Such Stuff as Dreams: The Psychology of Fiction explores how fiction operates within the minds and imagination of readers and writers alike. It reveals how reading fiction can deepen our self-understanding and foster personal change. The book examines core elements of fiction such as character, plot, setting, and theme, alongside classic literary techniques like metaphor and defamiliarisation. Grounded in contemporary psychological research, it discusses how identification with fictional characters occurs and how literature enhances social skills. The text is enriched with excerpts from renowned authors including Shakespeare, Austen, Chopin, Chekhov, and Baldwin.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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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Such 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 still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! 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.

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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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