tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621995982503387078.post7505496684219900348..comments2024-03-25T12:06:32.583-05:00Comments on THE ARCHETYPAL ARCHIVE: THE BRAIN IN THE MAIN THINKS PLAINLY SAVE WHEN PAINEDGene Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11495562795211277146noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621995982503387078.post-27703270506516903832010-12-04T10:45:52.291-06:002010-12-04T10:45:52.291-06:00One problem with your Henry James example, by the ...One problem with your Henry James example, by the way, is that anyone who appreciates James very likely sees the "nothing happens" part as feature rather than bug. It's not a flaw to be screened (no matter how it may seem to other readers), but part of the point. For that very reason, I have my doubts, too, that anyone really gets immersed in James the way we're discussing. There's a great deal of literary fiction (and its antecedents) that seems premised on the notion that immersion is suspect, if not outright pernicious. Formal difficulty and a sneering eschewal of conventionally rewarding elements (i.e. those that directly stimulate strong primary affective responses) work in tandem to withhold from the reader an experience that's immersive to almost any degree.Curt Purcellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12580782572650471362noreply@blogger.com