Theory of Mind as method of literary analysis

Abstract

Using the principles of theory of mind is a relatively new approach to literature. It makes it possible to give reading a pragmatic sense and to go beyond its label of uselessness. The novel Suit of light by Anne Hébert lends itself to such an analysis thanks to its specific use of narrators whose points of view are constantly questioned, corrected and contradicted. Where a moralizing approach would offer a rigid look that is bound to become obsolete, ethic approach offers complexity, openness, nuance and morally ambiguous judgments. In the ambiguous universe so characteristic for Anne Hébert’s writing, the reader finds him/herself in situations that require rereading and are subject to constant reassessments. The paper analyzes – within the framework of the theory of mind – the protagonist’s misrepresentations of the mind of the others, leading to situations that can have comic and/or tragic outcome. The resulting ambiguity of Hébert’s novel is the reason behind its ability to adapt to new environments and to address new readers even today.