In addition, we expect shortly to be monitoring reading electrophysiologically. We think literary reading may involve some distinctive psychological processes not found in other kinds of reading. If we contrast reading a newspaper article or a textbook with the reading of a novel, we believe that readers' feelings are not only more important in the context of a novel, but that feelings play a critical role in the constructive processes that enable a reader to sustain her reading and make it meaningful as a whole. Our theory of reading is thus based on trying to understand feeling rather than cognitive processes. Although cognitive components such as imagery or memory are clearly essential, these are controlled and shaped by the reader's feelings.
Feelings are important because they engage the reader's sense of self.
Reading a literary text involves exploring and perhaps questioning the self, although readers may generally be unaware of this underlying process while reading. Obviously, narratives evoke feeling. We may have feelings also about the setting of a novel or a poem, especially if the setting reminds us of an environment we are familiar with. And we have found that readers tend to report more feeling in relation to such textual features. There are several answers to this question.