ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that meta-reflective capacities play an important role in the development of our capacity for empathy. A case will be made for considering at least one form of empathy—what Coplan terms ‘empathy proper’—as a form of mentalization. I argue that empathy should be valued not only because it involves ‘fellow feeling’ with others, but also because it enables an understanding of ourselves and others in unique ways. By examining some of the ways in which literary form may enable mentalization, the chapter will conclude by making a case for the importance of literary engagement in the development of empathy understood in this way.
