Overview

The Routledge Companion to Literature and Cognitive Studies offers a comprehensive survey of cognitive approaches to literature, introducing the influential theoretical tools and latest developments in this vigorously multi-disciplinary field, with leading scholars illuminating the cognitive, affective, and bodily dimensions of literary reading. Comprised three main sections, this Companion oversees the history of the field, core issues and topics, and the vital new debates of cognitive theory. This volume introduces readers to the many new tools and methodologies in the field, including: the context of the first generation of cognitive literary studies mental representations and information-processing paradigms critical debates and developments, including cognitive cultural studies, 4E cognition and literature, as well as empirical investigations of cognitive processes approaches to a variety of literary genres and media This comprehensive Companion provides an important reference work for upper-level students and researchers delving into the interdisciplinary approaches to literature and cognitive studies.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jan Alber ,  Ralf Schneider
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
ISBN:  

9781032470504

ISBN 10:   103247050
Pages:   556
Publication Date:   31 July 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Introduction Jan Alber and Ralf Schneider Part I: Historical Developments Cognitive Literary Studies: The History of the Field 01 Narratology and Cognition Jan Alber 02 The History of the Field: From Reader-Response Theory to Cognitive Literary Studies Sven Strasen 03 Neurobiology and Literature Donald Wehrs Part II: Core Issues and Debates Cognitive Narratology 04 “Natural” Narratology and Experientiality Maria Mäkela 05 Schema Theory Catherine Emmott and Mark Alexander 06 Cognition and the Reception of Literary Character Ralf Schneider 07 Possible Worlds and Cognition Marie-Laure Ryan 08 The Phenomenon of Narrative Immersion Federico Pianzola 09 Blending and Literature Marcus Hartner 10 The Cognitive Processing of Experimental Literature Lars Bernaerts 11 Interdisciplinary Mind Modeling: Exploratory Cycles in Cognitive Science, Narrative Theory, and Fictional Creativity Marco Bernini Cognitive Linguistics and Literature 12 Stylistics Peter Stockwell 13 Text World Theory Sara Whiteley 14 Cognitive Grammar in Literature Marcello Giovanelli and Chloe Harrison 15 Storyworld Possible Selves María-Ángeles Martínez 16 Metaphor, Cognition, and Narrative Fiction Yanna Popova Literature and Emotional Impact 17 The Emotional Impact of Literature Patrick Colm Hogan 18 Neuroscience and Aesthetic Emotions Paul B. Armstrong 19 Literature and Persuasion Kobie van Krieken and José Sanders Part III: New Debates 4E Cognition and Literary Reading 20 What Is 4E Cognition? Regina E. Fabry 21 Building Blocks for an Embodied Narratology Marco Caracciolo 22 Literature and Enactive Cognition Merja Polvinen 23 Situation Models and Embodied Reading Jessica Jumpertz Culture and Cognition 24 Cognition and Cultural Studies Marcus Friedrich and Rüdiger Heinze 25 Narrative, Culture, and Identity Deborah de Muijnck 26 Practical Suggestions for Using Research on Theory of Mind in Literary and Cultural Studies Lisa Zunshine 27 The Phylogenetic Basis of Poetic Behavior Katja Mellmann 28 Cognition and Culture: The Subversive Potential of Second-Person Narratives Denise Wong 29 Postcolonial Cognitive (Literary) Studies Alexandra Effe 30 Cognition and Gender: Handwriting, Multimodal Poetry, and the Upending of Stereotypes Torsa Ghosal Empirical Literary Studies 31 The Empirical Investigation of Cognitive Processes: The Ghost of Scientism in Empirical Literary Studies Paul Sopcak 32 Foregrounding: Toward a More Comprehensive Understanding Frank Hakemulder, Amir Harash, and Giulia Scapin 33 Engaging with Literature in Print, on Screen Displays, and in Audiobooks: Current Findings and Perspectives for Future Empirical Research Anne Mangen and Kari Spjeldnæs 34 Empirical Ecocriticism Wojciech Małecki 35 Absorption and Impact on Self-Concept When Reading Climate Fiction Christina Loi, Massimo Lusetti, and Moniek M. Kuijpers 36 The Sound of Meaning, and the Meaning of Sound: Phonetic Iconicity in Literature Willie van Peer and Anna Chesnokova

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Author Information

Jan Alber is Professor and Chair of New English and American Literature at JLU Giessen University (Germany) and Past President of the International Society for the Study of Narrative (ISSN). He is the author of Narrating the Prison (2007) and Unnatural Narrative: Impossible Worlds in Fiction and Drama (2016). Alber’s articles have been published in journals such as European Journal of English Studies, Journal of Narrative Theory, Literature Compass, Narrative, Poetics Today, Scientific Study of Literature, Storyworlds, and Style. He is the editor (or co-editor) of 13 edited collections, the most recent one being Pandemic Storytelling (with Deborah de Muijnck and Jessica Jumpertz) (2025). Alber is currently working on a UKRI project (funded by AHRC and the German Research Foundation) on post-postmodernist fictions of the digital (PPFDs) with Alice Bell. Ralf Schneider is Professor and Chair of English Literature at RWTH Aachen University, where he is also Co-Founder and Director of the Aachen Center for Cognitive and Empirical Literary Studies (ACCELS). He has worked and published on various aspects of British literary and cultural history. However, his research focus has been on cognitive approaches to literary reading, in particular the reception of literary characters. A monograph on character constellations and the cognitive and empirical study of literature, to be published with Routledge, is in preparation.

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