The 1980s saw the emergence of cyberpunk that third wave in science fiction and of radical
constructivism. This interdisciplinary approach provides a sophisticated terminology for
discussing our everyday constructions of reality in general (fiction in reality) and the
parallel worlds of cyberspace in particular (reality in fiction). Phenomenological issues such
as the invisible and the blind spots of perception are explored. The reader's prominent role in
reception theory is developed further showing his emancipation as observer and user of
literature. Based on recent findings in the neurosciences the role of emotion in the reading
process is examined too. The present study claims that cult fiction functions as a literary
significant Other. Rather than the apocryphal other side of the canon it represents a literary
subculture.
