Friday, January 18, 2013

Suspension of disbelief



Suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Suspension of disbelief often applies to fictional works of the action, comedy, fantasy, and horror genres. Cognitive estrangement in fiction involves using a person's ignorance or lack of knowledge to promote suspension of disbelief.

The phrase "suspension of disbelief" came to be used more loosely in the later 20th century, often used to imply that the burden was on the reader, rather than the writer, to achieve it. This might be used to refer to the willingness of the audience to overlook the limitations of a medium, so that these do not interfere with the acceptance of those premises. These fictional premises may also lend to the engagement of the mind and perhaps proposition of thoughts, ideas, art and theories.[ http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-15/entertainment/ca-23034_1_indecent-proposal ] (2012?)
Suspension of disbelief is often an essential element for a magic act or a circus sideshow act. For example, an audience is not expected to actually believe that a woman is cut in half or transforms into a gorilla [ http://www.patriotledger.com/archive/x144223716/-Gorilla-Girl-sideshow-act-hangs-on-despite-changing-times ] in order to enjoy the performance.



If you can make the reader believe anything no matter how absurd it is, he will prove it to be true by his experiments. This proves that our beliefs make us act and our acts are directed by our belief, for the wisdom or knowledge is in the belief. People are not aware of this.
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby
 
"Christianity is not a theory nor a speculation, but a Life.
Not a philosophy of life, but a life and a living process."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The new life; the secret of happiness and power [1917] by Samuel McComb

Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( 1772 –  1834) was an English poet, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He coined many familiar words and phrases, including the celebrated suspension of disbelief . He was a major influence, via Emerson, on American transcendentalism.


Similar blogs with same themes:
Fred S. Ellmore  or FAKE SCHOOLS:  or Cognitive dissonance or True-believer syndrome 

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