Empathy versus engagementA storyworld possible selves approach to narrative discourse

Resumen

This study uses one of Hemingway's very short stories ("The shooting of the six Greek cabinet ministers''. 1924) to explore the connections between narrative engagement, emotion and the linguistic organization of narratives. The analysis is developed within the framework of storyworld possible selves (SPSs) (Martinez 2012, 2014, 2018) or blends of readers' self-concept and the character construct of a narrative perspectivizer, be it the narrator or a focalizing character. In Hemingway's story, emotions may seem to emerge from empathy towards the executed ministers; however, a closer look at the language of reference and deixis suggests that engagement and emotion are connected to the ethical conflict resulting from SPS blending and perspectival alignment with their executioners.