Possible Worlds Theory and Readers' Emotional Responses to Literature

Megan Mansworth is a Lecturer in English Language and Literature at Aston University, UK.

• Acknowledgements1. Introduction2. Possible Worlds Theory3. The Study of Readers’ Emotions4. A Temporally Framed Typology for the Stylistic Analysis of Textual Actual and Possible Worlds and Readers’ Emotions 5. Methodology6. Sadness, Sympathy and Hope: Counterfactual Textual Worlds in A Fine Balance7. Shock, Disapproval and Hopelessness: Future Textual Possible Worlds, Past Textual Actual Worlds and Past Textual Possible Worlds in A Fine Balance8. Dislike, Anger, Doubt and Discomfort: Counterfactual Textual Worlds and Future Textual Possible Worlds in Revolutionary Road9. Sympathy, Empathy and Sadness: Past Textual Actual Worlds and Past Textual Possible Worlds in Revolutionary Road 10. Empathy, Sympathy, Sadness and Claustrophobic Discomfort: The Current Textual Actual World in The Trick is to Keep Breathing11. Concern, Frustration, Hope and Happiness: Future Textual Possible Worlds in The Trick is to Keep Breathing 12. ConclusionReferencesIndex

Advancing and bringing cognitive stylistics, possible worlds theory, and empirical literary studies into dialogue, Possible Worlds Theory and Readers’ Emotional Responses to Literature offers innovative, compelling, and important contributions to our understanding of how fictional worlds are constructed as well as how readers cognitively process them.