Fiction and Representation

By Zoltan Vecsey

One of the basic insights of the book is that there is a notion of non-relational linguistic representation which can fruitfully be employed in a systematic approach to literary fiction. This notion allows us to develop an improved understanding of the ontological nature of fictional entities. A related insight is that the customary distinction between extra-fictional and intra-fictional contexts has only a secondary theoretical importance. This distinction plays a central role in nearly all contemporary theories of literary fiction. There is a tendency among researchers to take it as obvious that the contrast between these two types of contexts is crucial for understanding the boundary that divides fiction from non-fiction. Seen from the perspective of non-relational representation, the key question is rather how representational networks come into being and how consumers of literary texts can, and do, engage with these networks. As a whole, the book provides, for the first time, a comprehensive artefactualist account of the nature of fictional entities.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3110646803
• ISBN13: 9783110646801
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: de Gruyter
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary