Abstract

This chapter provides a map of current discussions on character engagement through the concepts of empathy and sympathy in the cognitive tradition. After arguing for abandoning the concept of identification, it presents both lower- and higher-level forms of empathy and their uses in contemporary theories of character engagement. It then examines the concept of sympathy and the links between sympathy and moral evaluation. The chapter maintains that the “Structure of sympathy” model allows a comprehensive account of the plurality of phenomena that make up character engagement and facilitates understanding their distinctions and interactions. It also accommodates better the relative importance of symmetrical and asymmetrical engagements with characters and can integrate current research on empathy in fiction.