Empty Revelations: An Essay on Talk About, and Attitudes Toward, Fiction

By Peter Alward

What mysteries lie at the heart of fiction's power to enchant and engage the mind? Empty Revelations considers a number of philosophical problems that fiction raises, including the primary issue of how we can think and talk about things that do not exist. Peter Alward covers thought-provoking terrain, exploring fictional truth, the experience of being "caught up" in a story, and the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction.

At the centre of Alward's argument is a figure known as the "narrative informant" who mediates the reader's encounter with fictional events through - sometimes unreliable - reporting. Developing a theory in which the author is a sculptor who constructs works of fiction out of words, Alward demonstrates that much of the confusion about fiction stems from a failure to properly distinguish between writing fiction and telling stories.

Combining clarity, philosophical sophistication, ingenuity, and originality, Empty Revelations is a rewarding read for both scholars of philosophy and anyone interested in the complex ways that fiction works.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773540385
• ISBN13: 9780773540385
• Release Date: August 2012
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.0"