The Cognitive Value of Literary Perspectives

Unlike other forms of writing or speech, literary works do not attempt to present the world from a perspective that is equally accessible to both the writer and the reader. Instead, a reader succeeds in engaging with a literary work only through imaginatively setting aside aspects of her own perspective and engaging with a subjective perspective different from her own. I argue that this feature of literary engagement is of significant cognitive value. Through literary engagement, we expand the range and sophistication of our perspectival concepts and practice making sense of motivations from perspectives different from our own.