Elements of surprise: our mental limits and the satisfactions of plot

344 Pages·2018·11.563 MB·English

by  Vera Tobin

Ele ments of
Surprise

Ele ments of
Su r pr i se
OUR MENTAL LIMITS
AND THE SATISFACTIONS
OF PLOT
VERA TOBIN
cambridge, mas sa chu setts
LONDON, ENGLAND
2018
Copyright © 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca
First printing
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Tobin, Vera, 1975– author.
Title: Ele ments of surprise : our mental limits and the satisfactions
of plot / Vera Tobin.
Description: Cambridge, Mas sa chu setts : Harvard University Press, 2018. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017042678 | ISBN 9780674980204 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Plots (Drama, novel, etc.) | Surprise in lit er a ture. |
Literary anatomies. | Narration (Rhe toric) | Cognition.
Classification: LCC PN3378 .T53 2018 | DDC 808.3/94— dc23
LC rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2017042678
Cover design: Graciela Galup
Cover art: John Tenniel
Background: Getty royalty-free
To Jane and Steve

Contents
Introduction 1
1 Elementary Prob lems 14
2 The Curse of Knowledge? 56
3 The Poetics of Surprise 87
4 The Naming of Things 124
5 Revelations, Recognitions, and
the Satisfactions of Plot 158
6 When Unreliability Is a Surprise 202
7 When Narration Itself Is a Surprise 234
8 So Many T hings Are Obvious (Now That
We’re at the End) 270
Notes 285
References 291
Acknowl edgments 321
Index 325

Ele ments of
Surprise