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January 9, 2014
The dreams of readers
When we open a book, it seems that we really do enter, so far as our brains are concerned, a new world— one conjured not just out of the author’s words but out of our own memories and desires — and it is our cognitive immersion in that world that gives reading its rich emotional force. Psychologists draw a distinction between two kinds of emotions that can be inspired by a work of art. There are the “aesthetic emotions” that we feel when we view art from a distance, as a spectator: a sense of beauty or of wonder, for instance, or a feeling of awe at the artist’s craft or the work’s unity. These are the emotions that Montaigne likely had in mind when he spoke of reading’s languid pleasure. - - | ROUGH TYPE
Posted by gerardvanderleun at January 9, 2014 6:42 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
I'll watch true crime on TV all day long, but I really hate reading about it. Reading makes it too personal for me.
Posted by: BradnSA at January 9, 2014 10:17 PM