Application is the process in which readers of literature focus on elements in a text and compare them with the outside world as they know it – an operation with cognitive and emotional consequences. This book demonstrates how and why this simple yet neglected mechanism is of profound importance for the understanding of literary art and experience.

Acknowledgements The Application of Literature to Life Examples of Application Application and the Act of Reading Literature and Cognitive Enrichment Transportation and Empathy Simulation and Identification The Aesthetic Approach to Literature Conceptions of the Text Literary Practice The Concept of Literature Questions of Norms and Values A Final Look at Application Appendix Bibliography Index

"In this lucid and insightful book, Anders Pettersson argues that using fiction to understand life ('application') is a deeply important part of literary experience. He goes on to provide a thought-provoking explanation of why and how this is the case. This nuanced theoretical work - one of the best I have read in years - will be of great interest to anyone who cares about the value of literature." Professor Patrick Hogan, University of Connecticut, USA "Engaging with an exceptionally wide range of positions in literary theory, philosophical aesthetics, and psychology, Anders Pettersson presents an approach to literature that stresses literature's relevance to readers' lives. His informative views on major issues in literary theory merit the attention of anyone who cares about literature." Paisley Livingston, Chair Professor and Head of Philosophy, Lingnan University, Hong Kong "[Pettersson] pursuits this interesting and appealing project with clarity and vigour... Pettersson certainly has given a rich and inviting account of literary application that can inspire many further studies. He invites us to take seriously the phenomenon of literary application, an invitation that hopefully will be accepted by many." Tobias Klauk, The Journal of Literary Theory