No, you need to read and comprehend. That was a THEORY.
RugbyPlayingAshaman Send a noteboard - 02/12/2010 07:11:01 PM
Hence why other readers disagree with some of its' arguments. Notice how that section starts by stating this is a theory, not a fact.
Anyway, further down:
"Criticism of the theory:
As in the examples of Superman's powers and Gary Larson's cartoon, it is unclear that suspension of disbelief correctly describes an audience's perception of art. If the theory were to be true, the individual events of suspension would appear to be highly selective. (It would appear that one chooses to suspend disbelief for the ability to fly, but not to suspend it for myopic co-workers.)
Aesthetic philosophers generally reject claims that suspension of disbelief accurately characterizes the relationship between people and "fictions." Kendall Walton notes that, if viewers were to truly suspend disbelief at a horror movie and accept its images as true, they would have a true-to-life set of reactions. For instance, audience members would cry out, "Look behind you!" to an endangered on-screen character or call the police when they witnessed an on-screen murder.[10] Tolkien, in his essay "On Fairy-Stories", offers the alternative paradigm of subcreation based on inner consistency of reality and secondary belief. Tolkien says that indeed the reader should in order for the narrative to work, chose to believe in the fiction he is reading - not willingly suspend his disbelief, but believe that the events are possible within the "secondary" world (the fictional world of the story). By focusing on how to create an internally consistent secondary world, the author becomes a sub-creator.
However, many of these criticisms simply fail to notice that Coleridge's original statement came in a restrictive clause. The formulation "...that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which constitutes poetic faith," of necessity implies that there are different sorts of suspension of disbelief and specifies that poetic faith is one instance of a larger class. One need not choose to believe that a character in a horror film is a real person in order, for example, to choose to believe that the character is looking at the building seen in the following reverse-shot. More often than not, both beliefs would be equally false."
Which brings me back to my initial point; not everyone needs to "suspend their disbelief" and in terms of fantasy stories, its' often not necessary unless you take it seriously.
Personally, I think you are over-thinking this. When I watch a Disney movie, complete with song-and-dance numbers and magic, I'm not suspending anything. My imagination allows me to enjoy the story, characters and images because I approach it as a form of entertainment and artwork. They are obviously in a fantasy world so I don't see the need to reconcile how the real world works and what happens in a Disney movie - it's not that deep.
Anyway, further down:
"Criticism of the theory:
As in the examples of Superman's powers and Gary Larson's cartoon, it is unclear that suspension of disbelief correctly describes an audience's perception of art. If the theory were to be true, the individual events of suspension would appear to be highly selective. (It would appear that one chooses to suspend disbelief for the ability to fly, but not to suspend it for myopic co-workers.)
Aesthetic philosophers generally reject claims that suspension of disbelief accurately characterizes the relationship between people and "fictions." Kendall Walton notes that, if viewers were to truly suspend disbelief at a horror movie and accept its images as true, they would have a true-to-life set of reactions. For instance, audience members would cry out, "Look behind you!" to an endangered on-screen character or call the police when they witnessed an on-screen murder.[10] Tolkien, in his essay "On Fairy-Stories", offers the alternative paradigm of subcreation based on inner consistency of reality and secondary belief. Tolkien says that indeed the reader should in order for the narrative to work, chose to believe in the fiction he is reading - not willingly suspend his disbelief, but believe that the events are possible within the "secondary" world (the fictional world of the story). By focusing on how to create an internally consistent secondary world, the author becomes a sub-creator.
However, many of these criticisms simply fail to notice that Coleridge's original statement came in a restrictive clause. The formulation "...that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which constitutes poetic faith," of necessity implies that there are different sorts of suspension of disbelief and specifies that poetic faith is one instance of a larger class. One need not choose to believe that a character in a horror film is a real person in order, for example, to choose to believe that the character is looking at the building seen in the following reverse-shot. More often than not, both beliefs would be equally false."
Which brings me back to my initial point; not everyone needs to "suspend their disbelief" and in terms of fantasy stories, its' often not necessary unless you take it seriously.
Personally, I think you are over-thinking this. When I watch a Disney movie, complete with song-and-dance numbers and magic, I'm not suspending anything. My imagination allows me to enjoy the story, characters and images because I approach it as a form of entertainment and artwork. They are obviously in a fantasy world so I don't see the need to reconcile how the real world works and what happens in a Disney movie - it's not that deep.
"Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
This message last edited by RugbyPlayingAshaman on 02/12/2010 at 07:38:33 PM
Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 28/11/2010 03:38:14 PM
3063 Views
Re: Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 28/11/2010 04:05:48 PM
1688 Views
Re: Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 29/11/2010 12:27:27 AM
1623 Views
Re: Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 29/11/2010 12:36:49 AM
1591 Views
Re: Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 29/11/2010 01:59:18 AM
1629 Views
Yes, she still lets herself be ruled by her desire to control everything
- 29/11/2010 02:39:34 AM
1594 Views
I vote it has come to pass
- 29/11/2010 02:48:26 AM
1447 Views
Re: I vote it has come to pass
- 29/11/2010 09:42:51 AM
1449 Views
Re: Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 28/11/2010 04:43:46 PM
1602 Views
Re: Easy life of Lightside heroes and pathetic incompetence of the Shadow - so what's new in Wot...
- 28/11/2010 04:49:23 PM
1588 Views
Indeed
- 28/11/2010 06:16:41 PM
1489 Views
am i the only one who acknowledges that it's a jerk deal for jerks
- 28/11/2010 08:00:23 PM
1725 Views
Re: am i the only one who acknowledges that it's a jerk deal for jerks
- 29/11/2010 06:40:18 PM
1458 Views
And in the interest of fairness, SH should've been all up in Osangar's intimate business
- 29/11/2010 11:34:21 PM
1497 Views
Agreed. The series is formulaic and predictable, and even I expected a few more twists.
- 28/11/2010 07:47:10 PM
1609 Views
I'm sure that all the men Ituralde lost would agree with you about it being a breeze -_-
- 29/11/2010 12:32:56 AM
1436 Views
Byar was compulsed
- 29/11/2010 12:46:01 AM
1786 Views
Re: Byar was compulsed
- 29/11/2010 12:54:38 PM
1755 Views
Re: Byar was compulsed
- 29/11/2010 12:59:31 PM
1450 Views
Re: Byar was compulsed
- 29/11/2010 01:10:18 PM
1543 Views
He disbelieves in the Heroes
- 29/11/2010 03:33:27 PM
1407 Views
I think that's his mind deceiving itself
- 29/11/2010 07:19:05 PM
1486 Views
I didn't say he was necessarily Compulsed
- 30/11/2010 07:40:51 AM
1386 Views
Do we have his reaction to the Heroes themselves?
- 30/11/2010 11:55:42 AM
1478 Views
They did get another thing right
- 29/11/2010 12:40:52 AM
1448 Views
Not Mat's fault, really - Verin didn't rehash her opinion of him.
- 29/11/2010 02:18:17 AM
1419 Views
It's the WOT Red Shirt syndrome
- 29/11/2010 04:29:12 AM
1554 Views
I don't want everyone to win and end up happily ever after though.
- 29/11/2010 04:33:06 AM
1431 Views
The disney ending is not realistic - or at least not as believable
- 29/11/2010 04:41:04 AM
1572 Views
Re: The disney ending is not realistic - or at least not as believable
- 29/11/2010 09:50:26 AM
1517 Views
It's a well told story with fun characters overall, but it's definitely not "War & Peace"
- 29/11/2010 06:33:12 PM
1535 Views
War and Peace was very thematic
- 30/11/2010 05:00:30 AM
1791 Views
Re: War and Peace was very thematic
- 30/11/2010 09:35:50 AM
1432 Views
I'm not really sure if or why any reader would need to suspend disbelief to enjoy WoT
- 30/11/2010 10:31:49 PM
1414 Views
I've always thought of this series (and fantasy in general) are a bit like Aesop's Fables
- 30/11/2010 10:44:09 PM
1341 Views
Please tell me what drugs you're on
- 01/12/2010 04:04:39 AM
1520 Views
It's called 'reality' - I agree with LadyLorraine & Moratcorlm
- 01/12/2010 07:57:35 PM
1418 Views
You are absolutely wrong.
- 02/12/2010 04:53:52 AM
1400 Views
You are incorrect - you should read the definition you reference before posting it.
- 02/12/2010 04:19:16 PM
1529 Views
No, I read the ENTIRE article, unlike you. You have to scroll down a bit.
- 02/12/2010 05:47:13 PM
1321 Views
No, you need to read and comprehend. That was a THEORY.
- 02/12/2010 07:11:01 PM
1245 Views
It's really very simple.
- 04/12/2010 12:31:16 AM
1570 Views
mk, I think I understand more what you meant now after reading this exchange
- 05/12/2010 05:42:47 AM
1432 Views
I still don't agree; sorry. I don't think this theory applies to everyone.
- 06/12/2010 05:30:41 PM
1544 Views
No, those are disbeliefs that you must suspend.
- 01/12/2010 08:18:25 PM
1325 Views
You have to feel the characters are somehow believable to empathize with them.
- 02/12/2010 01:05:29 AM
1392 Views
I don't see how WoT's writing (Before, or now) prevents that
- 02/12/2010 04:12:54 AM
1221 Views
I'm not arguing that it necessarily does for everyone, just that YOU HAVE TO SUSPEND DISBELIEF
- 02/12/2010 04:48:51 AM
1415 Views
Black Tower
- 30/11/2010 01:50:29 AM
1342 Views
Re: Black Tower
- 30/11/2010 01:57:48 AM
1493 Views
No, the worst case scenario is that the entire tower becomes 13+13'd and fights for the Shadow
- 30/11/2010 04:03:07 AM
1299 Views
Hopper's death... oh god...
- 01/12/2010 01:00:12 AM
1617 Views
while i miss hopper
- 02/12/2010 04:19:28 AM
1372 Views
Re: while i miss hopper
- 02/12/2010 05:30:52 PM
1501 Views
Hopper wasn't that important, either, though.
- 03/12/2010 02:32:10 PM
1277 Views


