A litcrit question

[nancylebov]

Are there any theories about the processes that shape what people tend to notice in fiction? I've been thinking about the process as what people foreground, but I have no idea if there's a standard term.

Comments

[kgbooklog.livejournal.com]

Any subject you are knowledgeable about will be more visible, also any differences from other books you've read, particularly similar books. Depth of immersion will certainly also play role, and how much time is spent thinking about the book between reading sessions.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

All of the above, and what other people talk about is likely to affect how you read-- but I was wondering if there's an existing body of theory on the subject.

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

Maybe you're thinking about the theory of reading protocols?

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

That's what I was going to say.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Thanks-- the Ogden Nash story was delightful, and there's a parallel in sf in A Midsummer's Tempest with science fictional protocols applied to Shakespeare.

However, I think that what's meant by reading protocols is a subset of what I have in mind. For example, the amount of fear in The Hobbit became more vivid to me after I'd had a middling injury, and Aragorn's sense of responsibility showed up strongly after I'd become an adult.

My impression is that reading protocols come from genres.

Exposure to theories (say, Freud or Campbell) can cause patterns in fiction to just pop out.