Short fiction knows a lot about attention – how it is gained and retained, how it is mastered and manipulated. As such it can contribute significantly to current research in interdisciplinary attention studies, inform debates about attentional crises, and offer deep insight into changing attention regimes.
In the project LitAttention, we combine approaches from cognitive literary studies, digital humanities, and educational psychology to explore ‘literary attention’ in short fiction. We examine how these narratives relate to and reflect upon changing theories of attention (and distraction); investigate narrative strategies that guide readers’ attention; and explore the role of short fiction in education.
LitAttention receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC) as part of the European Union's Horizon Europe programme (LitAttention, 101141722). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.