Forme e caratteristiche della lettura nell’esperienza di narrazioni omissive: dalla ricerca empirica in ambito universitario all’analisi della nouvelle

Narratives marked by intentional omission play a crucial role in supporting reading formation among young and university readers. Situated at the intersection of literary theory, cognitive psychology, and empirical reading research, this study explores how such texts foster deep, reflective engagement —particularly in a digital age where sustained attention and critical interpretation are increasingly under threat. Their ambiguity does not hinder comprehension; rather, it encourages active sense-making, even in the absence of formal literary training. Literary texts are conceived as aesthetic-cognitive devices that engage readers through semantic gaps, prompting interpretive cooperation. Drawing on possible worlds semantics (Doležel 1999; Eco 1979) and cognitive models such as the Construction-Integration Model (Kintsch 1988) and the Neurocognitive Poetics Model (Jacobs 2015), this study develops a framework that prioritizes interpretive openness over correctness. This framework is tested through three reading experiments involving university students and omissive micro-stories. The results suggest that, despite their cognitive demands, such texts stimulate critical thinking and the construction of narrative coherence even among non-expert readers. Finally, the study considers the broader implications for literary analysis and reading formation, identifying the nouvelle as a particularly effective genre for cultivating critical reading practices. A case study on The Successor (2003) by Ismail Kadaré illustrates how literary ambiguity can foster both cognitive development and information literacy. In this way, literature reaffirms its civic and formative role within today’s fragmented and often disoriented media landscape.