What do we feel when we read: Interpretation of Results of the Readers' Survey

This study combines reader-response theory, affect theory,and embodied aesthetics to examine how readers engage with theemotional aspects of literature. Taken together, these theoriessuggest that literary reading is an affective, embodied, and culturallyembedded activity. Memories, personal contexts, and bodilyresponses are integral to the reading process, not just peripheralphenomena. To substantiate these insights, I developed an onlinesurvey with six closed-ended questions focusing on aspects of thereading experience: (1) how often readers recall personal memories,(2) whether story or style more significantly influences emotionalimpact, (3) the persistence of emotional effects, (4) the role of culturalbackground and life experience, (5) the effect of current events, and(6) whether reading is seen as purely cognitive or also embodied andemotional. The analysis of the survey results reveals severalconsistent patterns regarding how men and women experience theemotional impact of literary reading.