Journal Article

Ways of Being Close to Characters

Eder, Jens

2006

Overview

Similarity identification and ingroup categorization, matching perspectives and goal sharing, synchronicity, joint semantic-perceptual space, mere exposure effect, and other parameters often contribute to an appraisal that is positive rather than negative. [...]the moral evaluation of characters, which is often seen as the essential requirement of affective engagement, is important, but only part of the whole picture. Needless to say, I am not aiming at a comprehensive interpretation. Because of its unreliable ego-narration, morally ambivalent protagonists, violent content, ironic stance, and Brechtian distancing devices, Fight Club is not an obvious example for being close to characters. Edward Norton's average appearance, noticed by several film critics, may help make Jack seem familiar to many viewers. [...]Jack is involved in situations, habits, problems and office politics many Western viewers can recognize. In these cases, the viewer's mental perspective is different in mode than Jack's, but has the same intentional objects and is similar in content. Because the first-time viewer knows only the content of Jack's mental processes, but not their mode, she can initially be tricked into sharing Jack's mistaken epistemic perspective (taking his hallucinated encounters with Tyler for real), then his conative perspective (wanting to know where Tyler is), and finally his affective perspective (being surprised by the revelation that Jack is Tyler).

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Subject: Empathy / Encyclopedias / Fincher, David / Identification / Motion pictures / Social psychology / Theory / Virtual reality