“When reading fills the soul”: about the experiential narrative in self-help literature

Abstract

Given the wide dissemination of self-help literature in the current Latin American publishing market, in this article we provide clues that can help understand the mass consumption of the genre. Focusing on reading as a communication phenomenon itself – the interaction that occurs between text and reader to cognitive, physical, and emotional –, it is possible to identify the ways in which the reader recognizes the experiential narratives featuring in the texts. Finally, one can note a reading that affects, that moves, that “hits”, a reading that mobilizes emotions and body sensations.

Keywords

• Literatura de auto-ajuda
• Afetividade
• Emoção
• Narrativa experiencial
• Consumo