Between Redemption and Ruin: English Literary Pseudo-Masochism as Cognitive Reconfiguration of Scaramouche in Genshin Impact

This study examines the pseudo-masochistic narrative of The Wanderer (Scaramouche) from Genshin Impact through the dual frameworks of English literary tradition and cognitive neuroscience, interrogating how self-inflicted suffering functions as both a survival instinct and a catalyst for cognitive reconfiguration. Employing qualitative textual analysis and intertextual comparison with Byronic and Gothic tropes, the research reveals that The Wanderer’s cyclical self-destruction and redemption mirror neurobiological processes such as synaptic pruning, amygdala-prefrontal cortex interactions, and dopaminergic reward mechanisms. His arc—marked by divine abandonment, identity erasure, and neurocognitive angst—exemplifies Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory, wherein narrative coherence is pursued through paradoxical acts of agency, engaging readers’ mirror neuron systems and Theory of Mind (ToM) to simulate empathy. The findings posit that pseudo-masochism in transmedia storytelling, such as Genshin Impact’s interactive lore, transcends cultural boundaries by activating universal neural circuits associated with threat perception and emotional regulation, thereby bridging literary communication with neuroscientific principles. This interdisciplinary analysis not only recontextualizes classical English literary tropes within contemporary digital narratives but also underscores art’s capacity to mediate cognitive plasticity, offering novel insights into the brain’s ability to transmute trauma into resilience. The study advocates for further empirical research into interactive media’s neural impact, positioning pseudo-masochism as a critical lens for understanding the symbiosis between narrative form and neurobiological function.