When Fiction Feels Real: Representation and the Reading Mind - Paperbackby Elaine Auyoung (Author) Why do readers claim that fictional worlds feel real? How can certain literary characters seem capable of leading lives of their own, outside the stories in which they appear? What makes the experience of reading a novel uniquely pleasurable and what do readers lose when this experience comes to an end? Since their first publication, nineteenth century realist novels like Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina have inspired