Why literary devices matter

This paper investigates the emotional import of literary devices deployed in fiction.Reflecting on the often-favored approach in the analytic tradition that locates fictionalcharacters, events, and narratives as sources of readers’ emotions, I attempt to broadenthe scope of analysis by accounting for how literary devices trigger non-cognitive emotions. I argue that giving more expansive consideration to literary devices by whichauthors present content facilitates a better understanding of how fiction engages emotion.In doing so, I also explore the somatic dimension of reading fiction.