The Paradox of Onstage Emotion

British Journal of Aesthetics 54 (3):357-369 (2014)
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Abstract

I develop a paradox regarding the emotional experiences of theatrical actors, which I call the ‘paradox of onstage emotion’. Many actors tell us that they experience genuine emotions while performing fictional plays: they grow angry, sad, joyful, etc., as befits their characters’ circumstances. Yet, they are not their characters and are not actually in those characters’ circumstances. Intuitively, it would seem those actors cannot have emotions befitting their characters’ circumstances rather than their own. Thus, we face a paradox. After setting up the paradox, I consider potential solutions to it. I consider four different available solutions, two of which I argue must be rejected. The two remaining solutions, I argue, are more promising, though which of these one accepts may be determined by one’s commitments regarding emotion theory in general. One stems from make-believe theory, the other from situationism

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Michelle Saint
Western Washington University

Citations of this work

Emotion in Fiction: State of the Art.Stacie Friend - 2022 - British Journal of Aesthetics 62 (2):257-271.
What Is Acting?Yuchen Guo - 2022 - Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 80 (1):58-69.
Piangere e ridere per finta.Carola Barbero - 2015 - Rivista di Estetica 60:21-29.

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