<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Most discussions of proper names in fiction concern the names of fictional characters, such as ‘Clarissa Dalloway’ or ‘Lilliput.’ Less attention has been paid to referring names in fiction, such as ‘Napoleon’ (in Tolstoy’s <italic>War and Peace</italic>) or ‘London’ (in Orwell’s <italic>Nineteen Eighty-Four</italic>). This is because many philosophers simply assume that such names are unproblematic; they refer in the usual way to their ordinary referents. The alternative position, dubbed <italic>Exceptionalism</italic> by Manuel García-Carpintero, maintains that referring names make a distinctive semantic contribution in fiction. In this paper I offer a positive argument for Non-Exceptionalism, relying on the claim that works of both fiction and non-fiction can express the same singular propositions. I go on to defend my account against García-Carpintero’s objections.</p></abstract>

Most discussions of proper names in fiction concern the names of fictional characters, such as ‘Clarissa Dalloway’ or ‘Lilliput.’ Less attention has been paid to referring names in fiction, such as ‘Napoleon’ (in Tolstoy’s War and Peace) or ‘London’ (in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four). This is because many philosophers simply assume that such names are unproblematic; they refer in the usual way to their ordinary referents. The alternative position, dubbed Exceptionalism by Manuel García-Carpintero, maintains that referring names make a distinctive semantic contribution in fiction. In this paper I offer a positive argument for Non-Exceptionalism, relying on the claim that works of both fiction and non-fiction can express the same singular propositions. I go on to defend my account against García-Carpintero’s objections.

Reference in Fiction

Disputatio

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Reference in Fiction"}

Most discussions of proper names in fiction concern the names of fictional characters, such as ‘Clarissa Dalloway’ or ‘Lilliput.’ Less attention has been paid...

Reference in Fiction

Publié en ligne: 13 mai 2020

Pages: 179 - 206

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2019-0016

Mots clés
Reference, fiction, proper names, fictional discourse, singular thought

© 2020 Stacie Friend, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Reference in Fiction

Publié en ligne: 13 mai 2020

Pages: 179 - 206

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2019-0016

Mots clésReference, fiction, proper names, fictional discourse, singular thought

© 2020 Stacie Friend, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
Reference, fiction, proper names, fictional discourse, singular thought