Article published In:
Narrative InquiryVol. 32:2 (2022) ► pp.289–308
Difficulties with telling the truth in non-fictive narratives and the issue of fictionalization
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
-
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