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Article published In:
Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 32:2 (2022) ► pp.289–308

Difficulties with telling the truth in non-fictive narratives and the issue of fictionalization

ORCID logo | University of Warsaw

The purpose of this paper is to discuss difficulties with telling the truth in non-fictive narratives (e.g. trauma stories, rape narratives, asylum-seekers’ narratives). In order to do that I analyze, among others, various discourse fictionalization strategies, such as emplotment, narrative substances (Nss), vague predicates, and approximate references. I argue that these strategies are conditioned by the very nature of language, and therefore are present in all types of statements – literary as well as scientific. Referring to the concept of alethic pluralism, I also discuss how it is possible that the use of fictionalization techniques in non-fictive stories does not necessarily transform them into fiction.

Keywords: non-fictive narratives, fictionalization, narrative truth-telling, historical writing, alethic pluralism, discourse fictionalization strategies, trauma stories, narrative identity
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Truth, fiction, non-fictive narratives
  • Discourse fictionalization strategies and difficulties with telling the truth in non-fictive stories
  • Alethic pluralism and conceptual schemes: Why does fictionalization not necessarily mean fiction?
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 4 March 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.20101.fil
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