<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In this introduction, I consider different problems posed by the use of singular terms in fiction (section 1), paying especial attention to proper names and, in particular, to names of real people, places, etc. As we will see (section 2), descriptivist and Millian theories of reference face different kinds of problems in explaining the use of fictional names in fiction-related contexts. Moreover, the task of advancing a uniform account of names in these contexts—an account which deals not only with fictional names but also with “real” names—will prove to be very hard no matter whether we favour realist or antirealist intuitions about fictional discourse (section 3). Section 4 offers an overview of the content of this volume, with emphasis on the discussion between Manuel García-Carpintero and Stacie Friend about the meaning of “real” names in fiction-related contexts, the main topic of the Third Blasco Disputatio.</p></abstract>

In this introduction, I consider different problems posed by the use of singular terms in fiction (section 1), paying especial attention to proper names and, in particular, to names of real people, places, etc. As we will see (section 2), descriptivist and Millian theories of reference face different kinds of problems in explaining the use of fictional names in fiction-related contexts. Moreover, the task of advancing a uniform account of names in these contexts—an account which deals not only with fictional names but also with “real” names—will prove to be very hard no matter whether we favour realist or antirealist intuitions about fictional discourse (section 3). Section 4 offers an overview of the content of this volume, with emphasis on the discussion between Manuel García-Carpintero and Stacie Friend about the meaning of “real” names in fiction-related contexts, the main topic of the Third Blasco Disputatio.

Singular Terms in Fiction. Fictional and “Real” Names (III Blasco Disputatio)

Disputatio

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

In this introduction, I consider different problems posed by the use of singular terms in fiction (section 1), paying especial attention to proper names and,...

Singular Terms in Fiction. Fictional and “Real” Names (III Blasco Disputatio)

Published Online: May 13, 2020

Page range: 111 - 142

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2019-0014

Keywords
Singular terms, fiction, proper names, reference

© 2020 Jordi Valor Abad, published by Sciendo

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

Singular Terms in Fiction. Fictional and “Real” Names (III Blasco Disputatio)

Published Online: May 13, 2020

Page range: 111 - 142

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2019-0014

KeywordsSingular terms, fiction, proper names, reference

© 2020 Jordi Valor Abad, published by Sciendo

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

Keywords
Singular terms, fiction, proper names, reference