How do we regard fictional people? How do they regard us?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Literary Theory
• Philosophy of Fiction

Background:

• Readers often assume real-world laws apply to fictional settings.
• Debate exists on whether real individuals can inhabit fictional worlds.
• The presence of real individuals in fiction is not explicitly stated but often implied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate reader assumptions about the co-existence of real and fictional individuals in story worlds.
• To explore the asymmetry in perceived existence between real and fictional entities within narrative contexts.
• To understand the role of authorial intent and reader interpretation in constructing fictional realities.

Main Methods:

• Experimental manipulation of prompts focusing on fictional vs. real individuals' worlds.
• Participant surveys assessing willingness to include real individuals in fictional worlds and vice versa.
• Analysis of the impact of spatial and temporal proximity on perceived interchangeability.

Main Results:

• Participants readily accepted real individuals (e.g., Queen Victoria) in fictional worlds (e.g., Jane Eyre) when prompted.
• Participants were less willing to accept fictional individuals in real-world contexts.
• This asymmetry was moderated by shared spatial and temporal settings, increasing likelihood of interchange.

Conclusions:

• Reader willingness to integrate real entities into fictional worlds is asymmetrical.
• The author's implicit contract with the reader allows for the augmentation of fictional worlds with implied real-world elements.
• Spatial and temporal congruence facilitates the perceived co-existence of real and fictional elements.