Empathic response of Slovene readers to poetry in Slovene and English

english

2025

volume 22, issue 2

empathy   foreign language   mother tongue   poetry   self-other differentiation   translation studies

Univerza v Ljubljani, Filozofska fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Drawing on literary theory, translation studies, and social identity theory, the research investigates whether reading Louise Glück’s poem “Adult Grief ” in English versus Slovenian elicits different affective reactions. Using a repeated-measures design and a specially developed empathy scale, the study differentiates between compassionate and distressed responses of narrative empathy and examines how they relate to the four dimensions of trait empathy as assessed by the interpersonal reactivity index. The findings indicate that empathic concern and fantasy are key predictors of empathic engagement, with fantasy enhancing perspective takingand personal distress. Notably, language significantly influences empathic responses, especially when interacting with personal distress, suggesting that reading in one’s native language reduces the self-other differentiation and intensifies emotional experience. However, language exposure also moderates responses, indicating that habitual engagement in a language can enhance emotional resonance regardless of native status. These results underline the complex interplay between language, empathy, and literary affect

12.02.2026