Best Laid Schemes

'Keith Oatley has written a brilliant book. He has shown how literary insights into the world of emotions can be married to psychological theory. The result should be enlightening for both cognitive science and literary criticism.' Phil Johnson-Laird

• List of figures and tables; Acknowledgments; Prologue; Part I. Theory and Function: 1. The structure of emotions; 2. Intuitive and empirical approaches to understanding; 3. Rationality and emotions; 4. Mutual plans and social emotions; Part II. Conflict and Unpredictability: 5. Plans and emotions in fictional narrative; 6. Stress and distress; 7. Freud's cognitive psychology of intention: the case of Dora; Part III. Enjoyment and Creativity: 8. Happiness; 9. Putting emotions into words; Epilogue; Notes; References; Author index; Subject index.