| Title | Imaginative Involvement with Characters |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | A Matter of Perspective |
| Contributor | Jens Eder(author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0283.13 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0283/chapters/10.11647/obp.0283.13 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Jens Eder; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-07-29 |
| Long abstract | Part VII of the book (Chapters 13 and 14) explores imaginative and affective involvement with characters, beginning with a critical discussion of existing theories and concepts. It proposes a more integrated model of ‘perspectivised multi-level appraisal’ that takes into account that audience responses to characters and their situations involve diverse cognitive and affective processes and always occur from specific perspectives. Chapter 13 focuses on imaginative involvement with characters and the perspectival relations to them. It emphasises the need to go beyond theories of moral evaluation, parasocial interaction, or direct identification to consider the diversity of perspectives in character involvement. By clarifying terms such as point of view, identification, and empathy, and by analysing examples such as Casablanca and Taxi Driver, the chapter explains how films shape the audience's changing perspectives and their involvement with characters through an interplay of different narrative and cinematic methods. In conclusion, the chapter proposes a systematic framework for analysing various interconnected forms of spatial, temporal, social and mental closeness (or distance) to characters. |
| Page range | pp. 535–608 |
| Print length | 74 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Jens Eder is Professor of Dramaturgy and Aesthetics at Film University Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany. His research focuses on the intersections of audiovisual media, narrative, and society. He has published books and articles on narrative theory, characters, emotions, political documentaries, video activism on social media, and image operations in societal conflicts. Currently he is heading the research group ‘Film as a Catalyst of Social Transformation’, which investigates the impact of engaged films.