Why Realisms about Fiction Must (and Can) Accommodate Fictional Properties

Abstract

The topic of fictional objects is a familiar one, the topic of fictional properties less so. But it deserves its own place in the philosophy of fiction, if only because fictional properties have such a prominent role to play in science fiction and fantasy. What, then, are fictional properties and how does their apparent unreality relate to the unreality of fictional objects? The present paper explores these questions in the light of familiar debates about the nature of fictional objects.

Keywords

• fiction
• fictional objects
• fictional properties
• pretense
• nonexistence