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 The Second Summary Beta: Hold it, hold it! I have a question. Our minds are like plays where images of real people and heroes of artistic works act out their roles. Can we sum it up like this?

Teacher: That is an intriguing summary!

Author, Character, Audience Beta: OK. Now, I read a book and feel compassion toward a hero. Let’s say Tom Sawyer again &hellip; or wait, &hellip; a thought is sneaking around. OK, give me a second &hellip;

Alpha: And what are we going to do while Beta is chasing his sneaky thought?

Kappa: I’m tired.

Beta: Actually, I’m ready. Remember the last thing I said, that we don’t know what really affects our minds, whether it is the person who is arguing in favor of an idea or the idea itself affects us?

Delta: Well, it was not exactly that, but in a sense, yes, you said that.

Alpha: Huh? So it’s not enough for you all to treat literary personages like real people! Now you want an idea to be like a person too?

Teacher: Let’s call it a quasi-personality.

Alpha: Are you serious?

Gamma: Let Beta tell us his new story.

Beta: Thanks. Quite frankly, it is not that clear to me yet.

Teacher: That’s all right. Go on.

Beta: OK. As I said, I don’t have a theory, just a kind of a feeling.

Kappa: Go ahead.

Beta: Say I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I feel like Tom Sawyer. I relate to other characters. I feel compassion toward some of them, anger at others. I get scared, make up my mind about something &hellip;

Alpha: Those are not new discoveries.

Beta: No, they are not. I am trying to grasp a theme here. And I understand that Mark Twain likes this boy and makes us like him as well.

Kappa: Yes, exactly! He does not teach us a thing! He just makes us like him! That’s it. That’s precisely it. He makes us feel something!

Delta: Does Mark Twain like Sid?