Elements of Surprise

For many people, the most satisfying part of reading a book or watching a movie is being totally flabbergasted at a stunning turn of events—that moment when you throw the book across the room as comprehension dawns and the story finally makes sense. But most mysteries and plot twists are built from the same tricks—so why don’t we recognize them? Why was it so hard to guess that Darth Vader was Luke’s father all along? Author Vera Tobin joins us today to discuss the building blocks of surprise. Dr. Tobin is an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University, and the author of Elements of Surprise: Our Mental Limits and the Satisfactions of Plot. You can learn more about her here.