Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract Immersion in a narrative and identification with its characters are complex and variable experiences. From that perspective, one factor not yet considered in this book merits discussion: the Homeric poet’s oral performance of the poetry, a performance that would have involved gestures, vocal effects, and music. If we can only speculate on how their oral performance affected their audiences’ experiences of immersion and identification, we do know that immersed recipients do not counterargue and that immersion and identification can have profound effects on recipients. We can attribute the Iliad’s impact to its audiences’ experiences of these phenomena. In that spirit, instructors should talk about immersion and identification with their students.