This is one of a series of discussion posts based on questions from the AQ-10 autism test.
2. When I’m reading a story, I find it difficult to work out the characters’ intentions.
- Definitely Agree
- Slightly Agree
- Slightly Disagree
- Definitely Disagree
Is this statement true for you? Can you think of any examples? Is it an easy or difficult question for you to answer?
You can take the full AQ-10 test here. Note this test is intended as a quick screener, and cannot diagnose or rule out any condition on its own.
I think a better phrasing I for this question might be, how easily can i put myself in a (fictional) character’s shoes?
using examples from the adjacent reply, it’s obvious Frodo is intending to destroy the ring, is questing to that end. but can you imagine yourself being him, imagine how he feels at a specific moment in the story, discern his deeper, non-explixit motivations, his thoughts or fears?
yourself?
This is a very helpful perspective, thank you. Is this what people mean when they talk about identifying with a character? I’ve never really been sure if I understand that properly.
To maybe lean on the example a bit too hard - there was a part where Frodo started to put his trust in Gollum, and I remember (gosh, it was a long time ago,) being frustrated with him. So, we’d want to think about why he might have developed that trust. And feel, what? Satisfied that it makes sense for the character? Feel the same trust ourselves, despite us knowing it’s a mistake and still being frustrated with him as readers? It’s a complicated tangle to unravel.
I can only assume that’s what I meant to type, so I’ve corrected it. thank you 😆