Written on July 27, 2011
Why We Read Fiction: Theory of Mind and the Novel by Lisa Zunshine (2006) doesn’t appear to be part of the soon-ending “Big Deal” kindle book sale, but currently has a digital list price of $1.99. (Compare to Amazon’s price of $20.67 for the paperback edition.)
Product description from the publisher:
Why We Read Fiction offers a lucid overview of the most exciting area of research in contemporary cognitive psychology known as “Theory of Mind” and discusses its implications for literary studies. It covers a broad range of fictional narratives, from Richardson’s Clarissa, Dostoyevski’s Crime and Punishment, and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Nabokov’s Lolita, and Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. Zunshine’s surprising new interpretations of well-known literary texts and popular cultural representations constantly prod her readers to rethink their own interest in fictional narrative. Written for a general audience, this study provides a jargon-free introduction to the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field known as cognitive approaches to literature and culture.
See also: Author’s homepage