Fiction Fiction A Philosophical Analysis CATHARINE ABELL 1 3 GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford,OX26DP, UnitedKingdom OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford. ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship, andeducationbypublishingworldwide.Oxfordisaregisteredtrademarkof OxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountries ©CatharineAbell2020 Themoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenasserted FirstEditionpublishedin2020 Impression:1 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthe priorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermitted bylaw,bylicenceorundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereprographics rightsorganization.Enquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeofthe aboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,atthe addressabove Youmustnotcirculatethisworkinanyotherform andyoumustimposethissameconditiononanyacquirer PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyOxfordUniversityPress 198MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016,UnitedStatesofAmerica BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Dataavailable LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2019920870 ISBN978–0–19–883152–5 PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby ClaysLtd,ElcografS.p.A. LinkstothirdpartywebsitesareprovidedbyOxfordingoodfaithand forinformationonly.Oxforddisclaimsanyresponsibilityforthematerials containedinanythirdpartywebsitereferencedinthiswork. Tomymother,LesleyAbell Contents Acknowledgements ix 1. Aims, Scope, and Overview 1 1.1 TheIssuestobeAddressed 3 1.2 ADistinctivelyInstitutionalApproach 7 1.3 SummaryoftheArgument 9 1.4 TheLimitstomyExplanatoryAims 18 1.5 ChapterSummaries 20 2. Fiction Institutions 23 2.1 TheNatureofInstitutions 25 2.2 FictionInstitutions 29 2.3 WorksofFiction 35 2.4 WorksofFictionandFictiveUtterances 40 2.5 TheEvaluationofWorksasFiction 43 3. Fictive Utterances 53 3.1 FictiveUtterancesAreDeclarations 54 3.2 TheRoleofIntentionsinDeterminingtheContents ofFictiveUtterances 59 3.3 IntentionalistResponses 66 3.4 TheRoleofRulesinDeterminingtheContents ofFictiveUtterances 74 3.5 HowtheRulesAccommodateContext-SensitiveContents 80 4. The Structure of Fictive Content 88 4.1 AccountsofIndirectGeneration 90 4.2 SillyQuestions 95 4.3 Authors’IntentionstoElicitEffectsintheirAudiences 97 4.4 UnderstandingWorksofFiction 105 4.5 InterpretingWorksofFiction 110 5. Fictional Entities 120 5.1 ExistenceandConstitutionConditionsforSocialEntities 123 5.2 ExistenceandConstitutionConditionsforFictionalEntities 126 5.3 TheGroundsandAnchorsforFactsaboutFictionalEntities 137 5.4 TheNatureofFictionalEntities 139 5.5 IdentityandIndividuationConditionsforFictionalEntities 141 5.6 FictionalEntitiesarenotPleonastic 146 viii  6. External Thought and Talk about Fiction 150 6.1 Anti-RealismaboutFictionalEntities 153 6.2 IdentifyingFictionalEntities 155 6.3 TheCo-IdentificationofThoughtandTalkaboutNon-Existents 166 6.4 TheInterpretativeRoleofExternalThoughtandTalk 169 6.5 TheRoleofExternalThoughtandTalkinCoordination 173 Conclusion 184 References 191 Index 195 Acknowledgements Ithastakenmealongtimetowritethisbook.Duringtheprocessofdoingso, I have benefited from the opportunity to present my ideas about fiction at various stages of their development to audiences at the University of Sussex, theUniversityofBristol,theUniversityofNottingham,theLondonAesthetics Forum, the University of Hamburg, the University of Southampton, the Scottish Aesthetics Forum, the London School of Economics, the Czech Academy of Sciences, the University of Hertfordshire, the Institut Jean Nicod, the University of Manchester, the University of Keele, the University ofSydney,andtheUniversityofOxford.Iamverygratefultotheaudiencesat these presentations for challenging questions and criticisms and for helpful suggestions, all of which have helped me to improve my views in ways that Icouldnothavedonealone. IamalsogratefultoJulianDodd,VíctorDurà-Vilà,AnthonyEverett,Stacie Friend, Alex Paseau, François Recanati, Nick Shea, and Enrico Terrone for discussion of some of the issues I address in this book, and to Tim Bayne, Stacie Friend, and Enrico Terrone for helpful comments on draft material. Three anonymous referees also provided constructive comments and criti- cismsthathavehelpedmetoimprovemyargument.Thankyou,whoeveryou are. Kathleen Stock generously read the entire draft typescript and provided invaluable comments and criticisms that have prompted me to clarify my argument, although I know she still will not be persuaded by the views presentedhere. Thank you to Peter Momtchiloff from OUP for his help and for the efficiency with which he obtained readers’ comments. My thanks to Gagosian and John Currin for permission to use John Currin’s painting, 2070, on the cover of this book. Thanks also to Jim Grant and James Knight andtomycolleaguesatQueen’s,particularlyNickOwenandBenSorgiovanni, forhelpingmetogettogripswithanewjobwhilefinishingthisbook.Ifthere isanyoneelseIoughttohavethankedbuthaveforgotten,pleaseforgiveme. The process of writing this book was made much more palatable by my friends and family. Thank you especially to Tim Bayne, Helen Beebee, Cathy Evans, Stacie Friend, Katherine Harrison, Rebecca Hartley, Gayle Impey, Aida Kaisy, Marion and Roger Kinns, Peter Lawler, Roger Liddy,