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Chapter 5. Into film

Does absorption in a movie’s story world pose a paradox?
  • Ed S. Tan , Miruna M. Doicaru , Frank Hakemulder , Katalin Bálint and Moniek M. Kuijpers
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Narrative Absorption
This chapter is in the book Narrative Absorption

Abstract

Most film viewers know the experience of being deeply absorbed in the story of a popular film. It seems that at such moments they lose awareness of watching a movie. And yet it is highly unlikely that they completely ignore the fact that they watch a narrative and technological construction. Perhaps film viewers experience being in a story world while simultaneously being aware of its construction. Such a dual awareness would seem paradoxical, because the experience of the one would go at the cost of the other. We argue that the solution of this paradox requires dropping the notion of an undivided consciousness, and replacing it with one of consciousness as coming in degrees. In this chapter we present both cognitive and film-analytic arguments for differential awareness of story and narration/technology, and argue that a characteristic of absorption is to be found in story world super-consciousness.

Abstract

Most film viewers know the experience of being deeply absorbed in the story of a popular film. It seems that at such moments they lose awareness of watching a movie. And yet it is highly unlikely that they completely ignore the fact that they watch a narrative and technological construction. Perhaps film viewers experience being in a story world while simultaneously being aware of its construction. Such a dual awareness would seem paradoxical, because the experience of the one would go at the cost of the other. We argue that the solution of this paradox requires dropping the notion of an undivided consciousness, and replacing it with one of consciousness as coming in degrees. In this chapter we present both cognitive and film-analytic arguments for differential awareness of story and narration/technology, and argue that a characteristic of absorption is to be found in story world super-consciousness.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Narrative absorption 1
  5. Part I. Conceptualization of narrative absorption
  6. Chapter 1. Beyond metaphors and traditions 11
  7. Chapter 2. Towards a new understanding of absorbing reading experiences 29
  8. Chapter 3. Narrative persuasion 49
  9. Chapter 4. Immersion into narrative and poetic worlds 69
  10. Chapter 5. Into film 97
  11. Chapter 6. “Spellbound in darkness” 119
  12. Chapter 7. Antecedents of identification 133
  13. Part II. Empirical studies on narrative absorption
  14. Chapter 8. Identifying with in-game characters 157
  15. Chapter 9. The effect of suspense structure on felt suspense and narrative absorption in literature and film 177
  16. Chapter 10. Elaboration, emotion, and transportation 199
  17. Chapter 11. Forms of absorption that facilitate the aesthetic and explanatory effects of literary reading 217
  18. Part III. Outcomes of narrative absorption
  19. Chapter 12. Absorption and meaningfulness 253
  20. Chapter 13. The role of absorption processes in narrative health communication 271
  21. Chapter 14. Absorption in narrative fiction and its possible impact on social abilities 293
  22. Index 315
https://doi.org/10.1075/lal.27.06tan

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Narrative absorption 1
  5. Part I. Conceptualization of narrative absorption
  6. Chapter 1. Beyond metaphors and traditions 11
  7. Chapter 2. Towards a new understanding of absorbing reading experiences 29
  8. Chapter 3. Narrative persuasion 49
  9. Chapter 4. Immersion into narrative and poetic worlds 69
  10. Chapter 5. Into film 97
  11. Chapter 6. “Spellbound in darkness” 119
  12. Chapter 7. Antecedents of identification 133
  13. Part II. Empirical studies on narrative absorption
  14. Chapter 8. Identifying with in-game characters 157
  15. Chapter 9. The effect of suspense structure on felt suspense and narrative absorption in literature and film 177
  16. Chapter 10. Elaboration, emotion, and transportation 199
  17. Chapter 11. Forms of absorption that facilitate the aesthetic and explanatory effects of literary reading 217
  18. Part III. Outcomes of narrative absorption
  19. Chapter 12. Absorption and meaningfulness 253
  20. Chapter 13. The role of absorption processes in narrative health communication 271
  21. Chapter 14. Absorption in narrative fiction and its possible impact on social abilities 293
  22. Index 315
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