NARRATIVE PLAY AS A COGNITIVE MODEL OF REALITY IN JULIO CORTÁZAR’S HOPSCOTCH

Abstract

This article examines narrative play as a cognitive model of reality in Julio Cortázar’s novel Hopscotch (Rayuela). Drawing on principles of cognitive narratology, conceptual metaphor theory, and reader-response approaches, the study explores how Cortázar’s experimental narrative structure functions not merely as a formal innovation but as a model of human cognition and reality construction. The non-linear organization of the novel, its invitation to multiple reading paths, and its constant self-reflexivity simulate the fragmented, dynamic, and participatory nature of human experience. Narrative play in Hopscotch is interpreted as a cognitive strategy that mirrors processes such as meaning-making, perspective-shifting, uncertainty management, and the negotiation between order and chaos. The article argues that Cortázar’s text transforms the reader from a passive recipient into an active cognitive agent, thereby modeling reality as an open system shaped by choice, interpretation, and play.