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
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