[jonyt]

Meh. First, the articles cited all have the same familiar problems of statistical psychology studies - small sample size drawn from psychology students.

Also, unrelatedly, I find ancient stories in many cases better than modern ones because of modern literary fiction's obsession with recording the minutiae of every character's thoughts. As the article notes, in one short story David Foster Wallace takes 12 pages to record a boy walking to a pool and jumping in. I can see the case for representing characters' inner states, it's an important part of the story, but modern literary fiction takes it way too far.

[yason]

I can see the case for representing characters' inner states, it's an important part of the story, but modern literary fiction takes it way too far.

Considering how things are written now maybe the inner states are the story? Maybe collectively we've shifted to being more interested in exploring human thoughts and emotions and not so much the direct action anymore? And maybe in a hundred years or so we'll shift our curiosity in some other part of the interaction that is life.

Exploration always swings between taking it way too far and taking it way too near.

[watwut]

Most contemporary fiction is not like David Foster Wallace. Literary fiction is special subset of fiction that moves its own way, have its own audience, habits and so on.

[buboard]

or maybe because we 've shifted to cities. observing people is easier to write about when it is all you see is people and you live far from nature.