Reading Differently: Exploring "The Power of the Real" in Literary Journalism

TLDR: This article argued that previous research on the experience of reading literary journalism has predominantly been focused on the ideal, implied and/or interpellated reader, and pointed out that the qualitative differences between reading fiction and non-fiction are usually theoretical or based on close readings where the analyses are projected on to a generalised readership.

Abstract: This paper contends that previous research on the experience of reading literary journalism has predominantly been focused on the experience of the ideal, implied and/or interpellated reader. Scholarly discussions about the qualitative differences between reading fiction and non-fiction are usually theoretical or based on close readings where the analyses are projected on to a generalised readership. However, recent developments in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive narratology are opening avenues for qualitative and quantitative research into the experience of reading literary journalism. This article takes some tentative steps towards exploring the nature of “experientiality” for readers by asking questions of emerging research in order to further articulate the “power” of narrative non-fiction.