SPACE REFERENTS OF READERS and FOLKTALE CHARACTERS interaction: BETWEEN MERGING AND DETACHMENT[1]
Leonid Dorfman and Sergei Schebetenko
Perm State Institute of Arts and Culture, Perm, Russia
The major goal of this paper is to present for literary studies a preliminary theoretical background and some evidence of an approach which is focused on readers and characters as agents of interaction in terms of the self – the other. In this broad framework, readers and folktale characters interaction is examined as merging and detachment. Of particular relevance to this approach is the finding that space shifts can indicate readers and folktale characters interaction.
Interaction bias in literary studies
In literary studies, the bias is given on what is under interaction. Meaning, interpretation, metaphor are under consideration. The hermeneutic approach explores the interface between people and texts emphasizing the search for meaning in literary materials (Schmidt, 1982). Progress for the hermeneutist implies a more profound understanding of what a particular text meant to its author (Cupchik, 1988). In contrast, an approach such as “reader–response” is focuses on the reader – not the text or the author – and locates the organizational structure that generates “meaning” or an “interpretation” as one occurring first within the reader, before being projected on to the text (Cupchik and Leonard, 1997). The Interaction theory of metaphor converges with Gestalt psychology and defines a metaphor as an emergent whole, created by an interaction between its primary and secondary subjects (Goodblatt, 1996). Steen (1997) treats metaphors as part of a message in a particular context. The context is one of verbal interaction, or discourse, between language users, that is, readers, writers, and texts as participating in one specific form of discourse, reading.
Cupchik and Leonard (1997) reinterpreted Descartes’s cogito ergo sum as distinguishing between a thinking-I and a being-I. The thinking-I assumes a “reality” that can be analyzed and then recreated in literary works through the rigorous application of rules. The being-I experiences a “reality” within itself that is novel and potentially opaque to others. By transforming traditions that went before and unifying them in a personal way, the artist both creates a powerful personal signature and potentially advances the field. This approach has been seen as another way to preserve the Cartesian subject as one who “knows” – by making the self a pre-existing object of unity, and then positing the text as the openended structure which confirms this.
Evidence for the self in the literary process
Not surprisingly, we can find some indirect evidences of empirical relevance of self situating in the literary process. For instance, Cupchik (Cupchik & Winston, 1992; László & Cupchik, 1995) rests on the assumption that there exists a complete descriptive and explanatory self level dealing with the literary process. He brings some evidences of self that favors the literary process.
But the picture is incomplete. A comprehensive model of interactive selves through literary texts would be well worth undertaking. It would portray the self in narrative but the self-narrative in the literary context would be examined, as well. Another reason for a comprehensive model of interactive selves through literary texts is the need to gain some perspective on the importance of selves as they can affect all phases of the literary process: production, distribution, reception, and post-processing. In more narrow sense, we may apply, at least, readers, writers, and texts as participating and interacting in reading. Hence, it is a matter of some theoretical importance to establish as precisely as possible the characteristics of interacting selves through literary texts but also a challenge for further empirical studies.
According to the Russian literary scholar Bakhtin (1929/1973), Dostoyevsky created a new form of artistic thought, the polyphonic novel. It implies not one single author, Dostoyevsky, but several authors - Raskolnikov, Myshkin, Stavogin, Ivan Karamazov, and the Grand Inquisitor. Each of them has own voice and tells own story. The several voices accompany and oppose each other in a dialogical fashion and present multiple worlds as heterogeneous and even opposed.
As Hermans (1996) proposed, the original work of Bakhtin is worthwhile for a self-narrative conception. In the narrative metaphor, story and storytelling are guiding principles for the self. Dialogue implies an interchange between mutually influencing voices.
Self – Other, merging – detachment in social and personality psychology
Aron (2003) showed closeness as self–other overlap. He posits that in a close relationship the individual acts as if some aspects of the partner are partially the individual's own (Aron, Aron, Tudor, & Nelson, 1991). In particular, closeness means that the self and the other are merged in the sense that the features associated with each one are increasingly intertwined, rather than remaining as separate sets of descriptors (Batson, 1997). Another general idea is detachment that treats the self as identity, sameness, autonomy, distinguished from other (Leary & Tangney, 2003; Chirkov, Ryan, Kim, & Kaplan, 2003). In Dorfman’s (2002, 2004) concept of the plural self merging and detachment come together. However the merging refers to subselves which would overlap and the detachment to other subselves which would be as separate units.
A second line of inquiry stems from studies showing a space that can be differentiated regarding to a person and his or her partner. Lewin (1948) diagrammed relationships within the life space. He showed overlap between the differentiated region that represents the self and the region that to the individual represents the other. Pipp, Shaver, Jennings, Lamborn, and Fischer (1985) used such diagrams as part of a measure of closeness. Adolescents were asked to draw a picture of two circles, one representing the self and one a parent in relation to each other. Aron (Aron & Aron, 1986; Aron, Aron, Tudor, & Nelson, 1991; Aron, Aron, & Smollan, 1992) developed Inclusion of Other in the Self (IOS) Scale. In that scale, respondents select the picture that best describes their relationship from a set of Venn-like diagrams each representing different degrees of overlap of two circles. The IOS Scale is hypothesized to tap people's sense of being interconnected with another.
This study is not specifically focused on people relations but on the readers and folktale characters interaction. Besides, this study focuses on merging – detachment as a unified construct and tests space shifts as its referents.
Method
All participants were from Library faculty of Perm State Institute of Art and Culture. There were 104 undergraduates. They were women, ranging in age from 17 to 26 (M = 18.50, SD = 1.63).
A procedure was elaborated this way. Folktale characters (50 men and 50 women characters) were randomly extracted from “Russian folktales” by Afanasiev (1985). Participants were asked to imagine themselves as readers and to select two close and two remote folktale characters as related to them. The Space Scale followed the design of Aron (Aron & Aron, 1986; Aron, Aron, Tudor, & Nelson, 1991). It was used to assess a space between readers and folktale characters. The required computer program was written in Flash Intermedia 5.0. Participants were presented with pairs of circles. One circle (on the left) is the “self” of readers, another circle (on the right) is the “other” that is folktale characters. The figures were designed so that (a) the overlap of the circles increases, so does the diameter, (b) the total area of each circle can be altered, and (c) the degree of overlap progresses linearly, creating a nine-step, interval-level scale from full merging to full detachment.
Participants were instructed to indicate only one pair of circles that expresses their attitude to folktale characters the “best way”. The criterion of a merging was indicated as the overlap of the circles increases and detachment inversely that is as the overlap of the circles decreases (the measure by Aron). Besides, three measurements were introduced in addition. First is a distance between centers of circles (the distance variable). Second is the reader space as an area of the “self” circle (the reader space variable) and third is the folktale character space as an area of the “other” circle (the folktale character space variable). Each variable was assessed in conventionalized units.
Each subject got measures on each of four space variables. Several statistical procedures were performed. Correlational analyses were done between the measure by Aron and the measures of the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space variables. A multiple regression analysis was performed in which the predictor variables were the measures of the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space variables and the criterion variable was the measure by Aron. A 2-way mixed design ANOVA (fixed effects, regression approach, type III SS, polynomial contrast) was conducted. The measure by Aron was a 3 leveled subgroups (the upper, middle, and lower thirds of the distribution) between-subjects factor. The measures of the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space were dependent variables combined in a within-subjects factor (a 3 x 3 ANOVA).
Results
A correlational analysis of space variables is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. A correlational analysis of space variables
Measure / 1 / 2 / 3 / 41. The Overlap of the Circles / —
2. Distance / -.88* / —
3. The Reader Space / —
4. The Character Space / .31* / .48* / —
* p < .001. non-significant correlations are omitted
Results yielded strong evidence of a negative correlation between the measure by Aron and the measure of the distance (r(104) = -.88, p < .001). The more the overlap of the circles, the fewer distance between them. The measure of the distance positively correlated with the folktale character space measure (r(104) = .31, p < .001). The more the distance between the circles, the more the folktale character space. The measure of the folktale character space positively correlated with the measure of the reader space (r(104) = .48, p < .001). The more the folktale character space increases, the more the reader space increases.
Table 2 shows results yielded by a multiple regression analysis.
Table 2. A multiple regression analysis of space variables
Predictor
variables
/Regression summary for dependent variable: The measure by Aron
R2 = .87; F (3, 100) = 225.76, p < .001
BETA / SE BETA / B / SE B / t / pIntercept / / / 2.64 / .17 / 15.60 / .001
Distance / -.96 / .04 / -.34 / .01 / 25.37 / .001
Reader space / .24 / .04 / .10 / .02 / -5.64 / .001
Character space / .11 / .04 / .04 / .02 / -2.76 / .01
One can see that the measures of the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space can predict together the measure by Aron. The predictor variables accounted for 87% of the variance in the measure by Aron (F (3, 100) = 225.76; p < .001). Given this, the fewer distance measure the more the overlap of the circles (t = 25.37, p < .001). The more the folktale character space, the more the overlap of the circles (t = 5.64, p < .001). The more the reader space, the more the overlap of the circles (t = 2.76, p < .01).
The results of the ANOVA indicated a significant main effect the measure by Aron produced on the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space measures, F(2, 101) = 5.92. p < .001. The predicted interaction, F(1, 101) = 122.27, p < .001, resulted from the space measures of a within-subjects factor differed for the low, middle, and high the measure by Aron subgroups levels. These data are shown on Table 3. Figure 1 illustrates data obtained, as well. The more the overlap of the circles increases the distance between them decreases but the reader and the folktale spaces increase.
Table 3. Mean (and standard deviation) of the measures of the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space across the measure by Aron subgroups
The measure by Aronsubgroups
levels / n / The distance / The reader space / The folktale character space
Low / 35 / 12.42 / (1.40) / 8.73 / (1.54) / 6.55 / (1.96)
Middle / 35 / 10.20 / (1.66) / 9.49 / (2.76) / 7.37 / (2.33)
High / 34 / 7.59 / (1.38) / 8.86 / (1.97) / 7.59 / (2.34)
Notes: The ANOVA main effect of the measure by Aron F(2, 101) = 5.92. p < .001; Interaction a 3 x 3 ANOVA F(1, 101) = 122.27, p < .001
Figure 3. Plot of means of the measures of the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space across the measure by Aron subgroups
Discussion
Summarizing, we can arrive at conclusion that space shifts indicating the merging between readers and folktale characters can be indicated by increasing the overlap of the circles and decreasing the distance between them. The merging would appear if the folktale character space and the reader space increase, as well. Inversely, the detachment between readers and folktale characters can be indicated by decreasing the overlap of the circles and increasing the distance between them. The detachment would appear if the folktale character space and the reader space decrease, as well.
In witness whereof findings evidence? First is the space shifts indicating merging – detachment between readers and folktale characters can be considered as a multidimensional construct rather than a single one as it is articulated by Aron (Aron & Aron, 1986; Aron, Aron, Tudor, & Nelson, 1991). Maybe, the overlap of the circles (the measure by Aron) can serve a main measure of merging – detachment. But the distance, the reader space, and the folktale character space can depict that process, as well. Our suggestion is space shifts indicating merging – detachment between readers and folktale characters are subtle and differentiated ones. Above mentioned four space variables indicate that not only the overlap of the readers and the folktale characters but also the folktale characters space itself and the reader space itself can contribute to the merging – detachment. The significant interaction between the measure by Aron and other space variables supports this suggestion.