Life and Narrative
Life and Narrative
It is standard in the philosophy of literature to distinguish fiction and non-fiction in terms of the attitude or ‘stance’ of the reader. Peter Goldie and Peter Lamarque make use of this, arguing that certain ‘tendencies’ or ‘principles’ that are characteristic of reading fiction are ‘dangerous’ when they become part of reading non-fiction. This chapter argues that these characteristics are (generally) not characteristics of fiction in particular, but narrative in general. Hence, they cannot be used to mark a distinction between reading fiction and reading non-fiction. The arguments apply to the attitude or ‘stance’ of the reader; it is no part of the argument that fiction and non-fiction do not differ in terms of ontology or (although to a lesser extent than standardly realized) appropriate principles of criticism.
Keywords: Keywords Peter Goldie, Peter Lamarque, fiction, narrative, literature, fictional stance, biography
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