Elements of Surprise: Our Mental Limits and the Satisfactions of Plot
By:
-
Rs 1,487.50
- Rs 1,750.00
- 15%
You save Rs 262.50.
Due to constant currency fluctuation, prices are subject to change with or without notice.
Why do some surprises delight—the endings of Agatha Christie novels, films like The Sixth Sense, the flash awareness that Pip’s benefactor is not (and never was!) Miss Havisham? Writing at the intersection of cognitive science and narrative pleasure, Vera Tobin explains how our brains conspire with stories to produce those revelatory plots that define a “well-made surprise.”
By tracing the prevalence of surprise endings in both literary fiction and popular literature and showing how they exploit our mental limits, Tobin upends two common beliefs. The first is cognitive science’s tendency to consider biases a form of moral weakness and failure. The second is certain critics’ presumption that surprise endings are mere shallow gimmicks. The latter is simply not true, and the former tells at best half the story. Tobin shows that building a good plot twist is a complex art that reflects a sophisticated understanding of the human mind.
Reading classic, popular, and obscure literature alongside the latest research in cognitive science, Tobin argues that a good surprise works by taking advantage of our mental limits. Elements of Surprise describes how cognitive biases, mental shortcuts, and quirks of memory conspire with stories to produce wondrous illusions, and also provides a sophisticated how-to guide for writers. In Tobin’s hands, the interactions of plot and cognition reveal the interdependencies of surprise, sympathy, and sense-making. The result is a new appreciation of the pleasures of being had.
15%
Elements of Surprise: Our Mental Limits and the Satisfactions of Plot
Rs 1,487.50 Rs 1,750.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,487.50
-120x187.jpg?q6 "Zuleikha")
10%
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
10%
10%
After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000
Rs 3,145.50 Rs 3,495.00 Ex Tax :Rs 3,145.50
10%
Diary of a Madman The Government Inspector & Selected Stories
Rs 2,245.50 Rs 2,495.00 Ex Tax :Rs 2,245.50
10%
15%
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Rs 1,950.75 Rs 2,295.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,950.75
10%
I Am Number Four AI
Rs 2,245.50 Rs 2,495.00 Ex Tax :Rs 2,245.50
15%
Beyond Twilight Explore The World Of vampire
Rs 293.25 Rs 345.00 Ex Tax :Rs 293.25
50%
Eclipse Film TieIn
Rs 497.50 Rs 995.00 Ex Tax :Rs 497.50
-Paperback-120x187.jpg?q6 "The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles Book 1)")
10%
The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles Book 1)
Rs 1,795.50 Rs 1,995.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,795.50
15%
Dr Sigmundus: The Cracked Mirror The Promises of Dr Sigmundus
Rs 1,780.75 Rs 2,095.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,780.75
15%
The Fallen 2: Aerie And Reckoning
Rs 760.75 Rs 895.00 Ex Tax :Rs 760.75
15%
The Fallen 3: End of Days
Rs 760.75 Rs 895.00 Ex Tax :Rs 760.75
15%
Magykal Papers Septimus Heap
Rs 675.75 Rs 795.00 Ex Tax :Rs 675.75
15%
Spirit Bound Vampire Academy Novel 5
Rs 675.75 Rs 795.00 Ex Tax :Rs 675.75
10%
10%
After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000
Rs 3,145.50 Rs 3,495.00 Ex Tax :Rs 3,145.50
10%
Diary of a Madman The Government Inspector & Selected Stories
Rs 2,245.50 Rs 2,495.00 Ex Tax :Rs 2,245.50
10%
15%
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Rs 1,950.75 Rs 2,295.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,950.75
15%
10%
10%
50%
10%
15%
Millionaire Success Habits: The Gateway to Wealth & Prosperity - Hardcover
Rs 5,095.75 Rs 5,995.00 Ex Tax :Rs 5,095.75
10%
15%
Close to Om - Stretching Yoga from Your Mat to Your Life
Rs 1,270.75 Rs 1,495.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,270.75
10%
The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections 30th Anniversary Edition
Rs 4,135.50 Rs 4,595.00 Ex Tax :Rs 4,135.50
10%
10%
15%
15%
10%
A Moment of Crisis: Jimmy Carter, the Power of a Peacemaker and North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions
Rs 1,782.00 Rs 1,980.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,782.00
15%
-120x187.jpg?q6 "Willy Wonka's Everlasting Book of Fun")
10%
10%
10%
10%
15%
Between Two Kingdoms: What almost dying taught me about living
Rs 1,695.75 Rs 1,995.00 Ex Tax :Rs 1,695.75
10%
15%
15%
50%
15%
15%
