Moral Emotions in Literary Reception An Introduction

Abstract

This special issue explores moral judgment as a central dimension of narrative reception, emphasizing its role in shaping how readers make sense of narrative worlds. The issue focuses in particular on moral emotions, arguing that they function as key drivers of narrative understanding rather than as secondary responses. Special attention is given to negative moral emotions such as anger, indignation, contempt, and moral disgust, which are shown to intensify engagement, guide attention, and structure interpretive outcomes. The articles examine how these emotions influence readers’ ethical positioning toward characters and actions and how they affect memory and interpretation. At the same time, the volume highlights the capacity of literary narratives to challenge entrenched moral expectations by suspending, complicating, or reconfiguring default judgments. By analyzing narrative strategies and linguistic devices that shape moral emotions, the issue offers a nuanced account of ethical engagement as a dynamic interplay between cognitive mechanisms, cultural norms, and individual experience.