Fictionality and Perceived Realism in Experiencing Stories: A Model of Narrative Comprehension and Engagement

TLDR

The study discusses three types of unrealness: fictionality, external realism, and narrative realism. The article proposes a theoretical framework to explain how perceptions of unrealness influence narrative engagement and perceived realism judgments. The model uses a mental‑models approach, integrating comprehension with transportation and identification, and treats violations of external and narrative realism as inconsistencies in viewers’ mental structures during meaning construction. Evidence shows that fictionality does not affect narrative processing, while inconsistencies in external and narrative realism can lead to negative realism evaluations, disrupted engagement, and reduced persuasive power.

Abstract

This article offers a theoretical framework to explain circumstances under which perceptions of "unrealness" affect engagement in narratives and subsequent perceived realism judgments. A mental models approach to narrative processing forms the foundation of a model that integrates narrative comprehension and phenomenological experiences such as transportation and identification. Three types of unrealness are discussed: fictionality, external realism (match with external reality), and narrative realism (coherence within a story). We gather evidence that fictionality does not affect narrative processing. On the other hand, violations of external and narrative realism are conceived as inconsistencies among the viewer's mental structures as they construct mental models of meaning to represent and comprehend the narrative. These inconsistencies may result in negative online evaluations of a narrative's realism, may disrupt engagement, and may negatively influence postexposure (reflective) realism judgments as well as lessen a narrative's persuasive power.