ABSTRACT
The chapter focuses on the reciprocal influence of fictional emotions and beliefs and is guided by two leading questions: are certain beliefs a prerequisite for our emotional engagement with fiction, and does our emotional engagement with fictions have an effect on our beliefs? With regard to the first question, the chapter addresses the so-called paradox of fiction and the various turns the discussion on this paradox has taken over the last fifty years. Regarding the second question, the article maps the field by characterizing prominent approaches that advocate an improvement of our epistemic status by the impact fictional emotions exert on our practical knowledge, knowledge by acquaintance, and understanding.
