Why Fiction?
Why Fiction? by Jean-Marie Schaeffer, published by U of Nebraska Press in July 2010, is an illustrated work comprising 364 pages. In this significant contribution to narrative theory, Schaeffer presents a unique perspective on fiction, arguing that it should be understood not merely as a literary genre but as a fundamental genre of life. He systematically challenges Plato’s critique of fiction, proposing that it serves a cognitive function and encompasses a wide range of intentional structures, including narrative fiction, children’s games, videos, film, drama, and various forms of art.
Readers will find that Schaeffer’s exploration extends to the impact of contemporary cyber-technologies and video games, which have become vital in shaping children’s engagement with imaginative realities. The book delves into the foundations of mimeticism, illustrating the profound effects fiction has on human experience. By establishing fiction as a universal aspect of culture, Schaeffer provides a comprehensive answer to the question of why fiction matters, making this work a thought-provoking examination of its role in our lives.
Official synopsis Publisher
In Why Fiction?—one of the most important works of narrative theory to come out of France in recent years—Jean-Marie Schaeffer understands fiction not as a literary genre but, in contrast to all other literary theorists, as a genre of life. The result is arguably the first systematic refutation of Plato’s polemic against fiction and a persuasive argument for regarding fiction as having a cognitive function. For Schaeffer fiction includes not only narrative fiction but also children’s games, videos, film, drama, certain kinds of painting, opera—in short, all the intentional structures arising from shared imaginative reality. Because video games and cyber-technologies are the new sites of entry for many children into such an imagined universe, studying these cyber-fictions has become integral to our understanding of fiction. Through these avenues, Schaeffer also explores the foundations of mimeticism in order to explain the important effect fiction has on human beings. His work thus establishes fiction as a universal aspect of human culture and offers a profound and resounding answer to the question: Why fiction?
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