Cognitive narratology is an innovative rapidly developing discipline. Based on cognitive
psychology and cognitive linguistics it tries to describe what happens when readers process
(and assign meanings) to narrative texts. It looks at the knowledge structures and emotions
that are triggered in this context and asks to what extent they are influenced by real-life
experiences and diversifying cultural models. Outlining the principles of the new approach the
present handbook by teachers and young researchers at the English Department of RWTH Aachen
University and the Aachen Center for Cognitive and Empirical Literary Studies (ACCELS) revises
and extends earlier structuralist models (which tried to identify structures shared by all
narratives thus remaining too static and general) and opens up new perspectives by employing
more process-oriented and individuating methodologies. The benefits of cognitive narratology
are elucidated in nine chapters focussing on its general assumptions concepts and innovating
effects on various relevant fields of narratology (such as the analysis of characters space
time plot narrative situations unreliability and difficult narratives). Apart from providing
a comprehensive bibliography and toolkits of questions for pursuing the new approach the
volume in each chapter also discusses the question of how its hypotheses can be tested in the
context of empirical investigations. Since one needs to understand what actual
(flesh-and-blood) readers do when they process narratives the project of cognitive narratology
will be most effective if it is combined with an empirical outlook. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. What
Is Cognitive Narratology? 1 JAN ALBER II. Cognitive Approaches to Narrative - Mapping the Field
21 SVEN STRASEN III. Characters - A Cognitive Perspective 43 JULIA VAEßEN IV. Space 65 JUDITH
ECKENHOFF AND KAI TAN V. Time and the Experience of Narrative 95 RALF SCHNEIDER VI. Plot 119
DEBORAH DE MUIJNCK FRANCESCA WESSING NALIN CAMUR AND LINDA WETZEL VII. Narrative Situations
143 PETER WENZEL VIII. Unreliable Narration from a Cognitive-Narratological Perspective 169
JESSICA JUMPERTZ AND FRANZISKA VON MEER IX. Cognitive Challenges: Difficult Narratives 191 JAN
ALBER AND CLARISSA VON MEER X. Bibliography 213 XI. Index 249
