Truth and Reference in the Making of Fiction

Name: Truth and Reference in the Making of Fiction
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ISBN: 9781009298452

A View on Fictionality

Manuel García-Carpintero (Universitat de Barcelona)

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Hardback

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English

Cambridge University Press
22 January 2026

Philosophy of language; Literary theory; Philosophy of mind

Series: Cambridge Studies in Philosophy

A standard feature of our engagement with fictions is that we praise them as if they offer true insights on factual, psychological or evaluative matters, or criticize them as if they purport to do it but fail. But it is not so easy to make sense of this practice, since fictions traffick in made-up narratives concerning non-existing characters. This book offers the reader conceptual tools to reflect on such issues, providing an overarching, systematic account of philosophical issues concerning fictions and illustrating them with analysis of compelling examples. It asks whether fiction is defined – as John Searle and others have claimed – by mere pretense – the simulation of ordinary representational practices like assertions or requests - or whether it is defined by invitations or prescriptions to imagine. And it advances an original proposal on the nature of fictions, explaining why fictions can refer to the world and state facts about it.

By: Manuel García-Carpintero (Universitat de Barcelona)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 504g
ISBN: 9781009298452
ISBN 10: 1009298453
Series: Cambridge Studies in Philosophy
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 22 January 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction; 1. Truth in fiction; 2. On the mood for fiction; 3. Fictional worlds; 4. Fictive imaginings as entertainings; 5. Desires and emotions in response to fiction; 6. Fictional narrators; 7. Interpretation and ontology; 8. Learning from fiction; 9. Fictional characters and fictional reference.

Manuel García-Carpintero is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Barcelona. He has published widely on the philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. He is the author of Tell Me What You Know (2025).