LITERATURE, LINGUISTICS & CRITICISM | RESEARCH ARTICLE What is literature for? The role of transformative reading Olivia Fialho 1* Abstract: The question of what literature is for—if there is a purpose—is not new. Since the beginning of literary theory as a field of study, the debate has been long and complex and is still ongoing. This article offers a reflection on the concept of purpose in the development of literary theories up to the advent of the cognitive turn in the twenty-first century, when empirical studies of literary reading began to proliferate. The paper argues that discussions on the question of purpose have changed from no purpose to pragmatic and later to more existential purposes. It places transformative reading in the center of this debate and reflects on the results of the series of empirical studies conducted so far. The paper focuses on the implications and uses of transformative reading in social contexts. It concludes by discussing how empirical work in this area suggests new conceptual distinctions that could contribute to theorizing about purpose in literary studies more generally. It also indicates what lies ahead in terms of challenges while pointing at new research directions. Olivia Fialho ABOUT THE AUTHOR Olivia Fialho is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages, University of Oslo, and Assistant Professor of Leadership at Utrecht University. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (University of Alberta), and has con- tributed to empirical studies of literary reading and education (e.g., see her co-edited Scientific Approaches to Literature in Learning Environments, 2016; Learning and Instruction, 2019). Her project “Transformative Reading” investigates the phenomenology, preconditions, and underlying processes through which literary narrative fiction deepens perceptions of self and others. While funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) as part of the project “Uses of Literary Narrative Fiction in Social Contexts” (grant number 360-30- 240), she developed a theoretical-empirical model of transformative reading. In her current research, funded by the “Literature, Cognition and Emotions” initiative at the University of Oslo, she tests this model and researches how its cognitive underpinnings may contribute to a theory of literary reading. Her research has been implemented in education and business. PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT We say that literature changes lives. But is this statement supported by scientific evidence? This paper presents recent work on how readers might gain fresh insights into themselves and others through reading literature, in a process called “transformative reading.” It describes the forms of cognitive and emotional engagements involved: by vividly imagining stories and reso- nating with characters and situations in novels and stories, readers may reflect on how they would feel or act, what consequences their thoughts and behaviours might have for others, and who they may or may not be in the future. In light of a reflection on the concept of “pur- pose” in the development of literary theories, this paper holds that the purpose of literature lies in the experience itself—it transforms readers’ per- sonal and social concepts—and in its uses in social contexts. It concludes by discussing how empirical work in this area suggests new con- ceptual distinctions that could contribute to theorizing about purpose in literary studies more generally. Fialho, Cogent Arts & Humanities (2019), 6: 1692532 https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2019.1692532 © 2019 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. Received: 01 July 2019 Accepted: 25 October 2019 First Published: XXXXXXXX * Corresponding author: Olivia Fialho, Literature, Area Studies and European Languages, University of Oslo, Norway E-mail: o.d.c.fialho@ilos.uio.no Reviewing editor: Anezka Kuzmicova, Stockholms Universitet, Sweden Additional information is available at the end of the article Page 1 of 16