Post History

I wrote a blog post a little while back about what it means for a reader to identify with a protagonist: https://gmbaker.net/avatar-friend-and-shrink-three-modes-of-reader-intimacy/

I identified three modes of engagement: 

* Avatar -- the reader lives vicariously through the character (looking out through their eye)

* Friend -- the reader goes on an adventure with the character (looking at the same things side by side, but also at them)

* Shrink -- the reader psychanalyses the character (looking into their head)

I suspect that Bird is right if we assume engagement in avatar mode, which is often the case for pulp fiction today. 

But he is not right if we assume friend mode, which I take to be the traditional mode of literature.

He is also not right if we assume shrink mode, which is common in literary fiction, for instance.