The Science of Reading Fiction

Abstract

This chapter explores the relationship between fiction and science outlined in the theories of reading developed by Jorge Volpi and Marcelo Cohen, in which cognitive philosophies and neuroscience are used to support claims of the unique role played by literature in the operations of intersubjectivity that underpin the development of human society and culture. In their narrative projects (fiction and essays), Volpi and Cohen develop theories of reading that intersect with recent advances in cognitive science and revisions to Darwin models of evolution. Reflecting on Catherine Malabou’s work on the relationship between neuroplasticity and late capitalism, this chapter also questions the extent to which these new theories of reading align themselves with, or challenge, those neoliberal ideals of flexibility and self-development are often subjected to critique in recent Latin American fiction.