The Psychology of Literature by Stephanie Downes

Picture an evil monster. It lives in the forest, and scavenges for human blood. What does the monster look like? Is it furry or scaly? Does it walk on two legs or four?  If you ask anyone else, their depiction of this monster will most likely be different from yours. Recently after reading Beowulf, our class looked up pictures of the evil swamp monster, Grendel. We were all very surprised when we saw that there is a countless amount of different depictions of the creature. The question is why? Why do we all read the same words, yet see images that are so versatile? Why do we associate colors with traits, or traits with appearance in literature?

In early literature such as the Bible, the word “white” is used to describe purity and goodness, and the word “black” as evil and satanic. This explains why from the earliest times until present day, we associate these colors with these traits. Early literature set many precedents for modern depictions of characters and scenery. For example, I'm sure you've heard the quote in which, “God said, ‘let there be light,’ and there was light.” The Bible uses light to portray God, creation, and purity. In addition to this, in the story of Adam and Eve, the Devil is portrayed as a dark and mysterious snake. As you can tell, early literature set the basis for literature in the future to follow.

When we picture a monster, most of the images in our head will be dark and gloomy. However, what creates the slight differences? What in our minds controls whether we portray something “evil” as large or small, man or woman?  It can all be traced back to our past experiences. Literature that we have previously read, or media that we have watched in the past heavily impacts our perception of characters in books. For example, if a book mentions an evil sorcerer, some people may immediately picture the character as similar to Voldemort. However, if a reader is not familiar with the Harry Potter series, their view would be completely different. Overall, all of our minds work differently, and the way that our brains perceive and imagine literature makes for a unique and exciting adventure for everyone!