Pdf possible worlds in recent literary theory marielaure. Possible worlds in the history of the novel poetics today. In heterocosmica, lubomir dolezel offers a complete theory of literary fiction based on the idea of possible worlds. Based on the authors work as general editor of the norton anthology of world literature, the essay develops an approach to world literature centered on world creation. This model postulates that there is a plurality of worlds. A game in interdisciplinarity ronen, ruth 19900101 00. The core of the tools spatiotemporal framework is applied to four literary histories which cover the history of the novel from its beginnings to the twentieth century. This text develops a comparative reading of the use of possible worlds in philosophy and in literary theory. Although possible world has been part of the philosophical lexicon at least since leibniz, the notion became firmly entrenched in contemporary philosophy with the development of possible world semantics for the languages of propositional and firstorder modal logic. The basic premise of text world theory is that human beings process and understand all discourse by constructing mental. Cambridge university press 0521456487 possible worlds in literary theory. However, the relation between the model theory of modal logic and the correctness of formulas on their metaphysical readings is not straightforward. Possible worlds theory and fictional worlds research papers.
Pdf possible worlds in literary theory download full pdf. Cambridge university press 0521450179 possible worlds in. Reality, imagination and possible worlds in american. In particular, he analysed the modeltheoretic conditions for the barcan formula and its converse to hold. The concept of possible worlds, originally introduced in philosophical logic, has recently gained interdisciplinary influence. Nonfictional texts refer to the actual world, while fictional texts create nonactual possible worlds. A game in interdisciplinarity possible worlds in literary theory. This article demonstrates an approach to the study of text worlds in poetry based on the theory of background knowledge and comprehension generally known as schema theory. Reality, imagination and possible worlds in american postmodern. Found at these bookshops searching please wait retrieved 12 august heterocosmixa careful attention heterocoemica philosophical inquiry into possible worlds, especially saul kripkes and jaakko hintikkas, and through long familiarity with literary theory, dolezel brings us an unprecedented examination. The basis of possible worlds theory is the settheoretical idea that realitythe sum of the imaginableis a universe composed of a plurality of distinct elements. The next two chapters move beyond the constraints of a oneworld semantics, formulating a theory of possible worlds that is justifiable logically and linguistically, and is compatible with the way we read literary texts.
Possible world semantics provides an illuminating analysis of the key difference between the two. The concept of possible worlds, originally introduced in philosophical logic, proves to be a productive tool when borrowed by literary theory to explain the notion of fictional worlds. In creating what is objectively an apw, the literary text establishes for the reader a new actual world which imposes. Ruth ronen the concept of possible worlds, originally introduced in philosophical logic, has recently gained interdisciplinary influence. Partees paper possible worlds in modeltheoretic semantics. Possible worlds hence provide a general framework and context for describing the most notable influence of philosophical discourse on the literary theory of fictionality and they supply the grounds for reorienting literary theory toward. Mar 02, 2012 in his 1975 article possible worlds in literary semantics further developed in his 1986 book fictional worlds, he sees in the concept of pw a way to put an end to the structuralist moratorium on questions of reference. Schema theory and the analysis of text worlds in poetry. From this groundwork, the theory of possible worlds became a central part of many philosophical developments, from the 1960s onwards including, most famously, the analysis of counterfactual conditionals in terms of nearby possible worlds developed by david lewis and robert stalnaker. Analyzing the narrative techniques used by donald barthelme in his short story the dragon, i will try to point out the way postmodern fiction and theories of possible worlds. English literaturehistory and criticismtheory, etc.
The concept of possible worlds henceforth pw, loosely inspired by leibniz. Pdf the philosophical concept of possible worlds lenzen, 2004. Kripke transformed both the model theory of modal logic and the understanding of metaphysical modality. Preliminary motivations fictional worlds semantics builds to a considerable extent on the notion of possible worlds used by logical semantics. Literary theory internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Drawing on recent work in literary theory, linguistics, and symbolic anthropology, as well as cognitive and developmental psychology, professor bruner examines the mental acts that enter into the imaginative creation of possible worlds, and he shows how the activity of imaginary world making undergirds human science, literature, and philosophy. It is argued that such an approach constitutes a useful alternative to the possible world models which have traditionally been applied to the description of fictional worlds. Possible worlds, artificial intelligence, and narrative theory by marielaure ryan. The expressive power of the possible worlds theory in video games. Ruth ronen develops a comparative reading of the use of possible worlds in philosophy and in literary theory.
The idea of possible worlds is evocative and appealing. Lewis, 1986 has been used in literary studies and narratology dolezel, 1998. Cambridge core literary theory possible worlds in literary theory by ruth ronen. World literature and the creation of literary worlds. Literary theory, sometimes designated critical theory, or theory, and now undergoing a transformation into cultural theory within the discipline of literary studies, can be understood as the set of concepts and intellectual assumptions on which rests the work of explaining or interpreting literary texts. The main profit fictional worlds semantics gains from logical possible worlds is the referential frame. Possible worlds theory and contemporary narratology on jstor. Mar 01, 2005 in roleplaying games and recent theories of fictional world, this essay argues, emphasis on objects makes possible intertextual comparisons, which in turn help to define and rejuvenate the agency of readers and critics against the backdrop of challenges to that agency by market culture and structuralist literary theory. One of these worlds, the one we live in, is called the actual world. Its popularity is reminiscent of such concepts as speech acts, competence, and the. A readers guide to contemporary literary theory 5th edition.
This is a survey article on the significance of possible worlds theory for literary studies. Text world theory shura sheffield hallam university research. Cambridge university press 0521450179 possible worlds in literary theory. Possible worlds theory by marielaure ryan entry for the routledge encyclopedia of narrative theory the theory of possible worlds henceforth pw, a modern adaptation of a leibnizian concept, was originally developed by philosophers of the analytic school kripke, lewis, rescher, hintikka as a means to solve problems in formal semantics. View possible worlds theory and fictional worlds research papers on academia.
It proposes that at present traditional musical compositions and contemporary sonic outputs are approached and investigated through separate and distinct critical languages and histories. Taking its point of departure from possible worlds theory, the essay. The creation of literary worlds can be understood within the framework of possible worlds theory as developed by thomas pavel, lubomir dolezel and others. Possible worlds of history, journal of the philosophy of. For ryan, the theory of possible worlds provides a more nuanced way of discussing the commonplace notion of a fictional world, while artificial intelligence contributes to narratology and the theory of fiction directly via its researches into the congnitive processes of texts and automatic story generation.
Taking its point of departure from possible worlds theory, the essay then focuses on specific genres that foreground the capacity of literature to create whole worlds, including world. The pioneering work of umberto eco, thomas pavel, and lubomir. Cambridge university press 0521456487 possible worlds in literary theory ruth ronen frontmatter more information. The theory of fictional worlds considers fictional worlds to be specific kinds of. In this book ruth ronen develops a comparative reading of the use of possible worlds in philosophy and in literary theory, and offers an analysis of the way. Pdf the expressive power of the possible worlds theory.
Beginning with a discussion of the extant semantics and pragmatics of fictionality. However, possible worlds failed to gain any real traction among philosophers until the 1960s when they were invoked to provide the conceptual underpinnings of some powerful developments in modal logic. In addition to the usual sentence operators of classical logic such as and. At the core of the theory of possible worlds is the idea that reality forms a modal system. This universe is hierarchically structured by the opposition of one welldesignated element, to all the other members of the set ryan 2005, 446. Possible worlds the living handbook of narratology. Developed by philosophers belonging to the anglosaxon school of analytic philosophy as a means to solve problems in formal semantics, pw theory was adapted. Pdf possible worlds in recent literary theory marie. Possible worlds theory and fictional worlds research. Possibleworlds theory by marielaure ryan entry for the routledge encyclopedia of narrative theory the theory of possible worlds henceforth pw, a modern adaptation of a leibnizian concept, was originally developed by philosophers of the analytic school kripke, lewis, rescher, hintikka as a means to solve problems in formal semantics.
Possible worlds literary theory cambridge university press. The notion of possible worlds the concept of possible worlds is originally connected with the name of saul kripke and has become one of the most useful concepts in the field of modern logical semantics. Impossible worlds and aesthetic illusion marielaure ryan. The theory of fictional worlds considers fictional worlds to be specific kinds of possible worlds but, at the same time, fictional worlds are determined by their specific qualities.
English literaturestudy and teaching highergreat britain. As a theory concerned with the opposition between the actual world that we belong to and possible worlds created by the imagination, possible. Inspired by its use in literary theory, film criticism and the discourse of game design, salome voegelin adapts and develops possible world theory in relation to sound. Text world theory is a cognitivelinguistic model of human discourse processing. Possible worlds theory and contemporary narratology updates the field of possible worlds theory and postclassical narratology by developing this theoretical framework further and applying it to a range of contemporary literary narratives. Taking its point of departure from possible worlds theory, the essay then focuses on speci. Possible worlds in literary theory literature, culture. Possible worlds theory and contemporary narratology by. Because the blackwell guide to literary theory is aimed at readers unacquainted with theory undergraduates especially, but also beginning graduate students, instructors who need a refresher course, and general readers interested in the sometimes forbiddingly arcane world of literary studies my focus is on fundamental concepts and the most. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this actual minds, possible worlds study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. This volume systematically outlines the theoretical underpinnings of the possible worlds approach, provides. Possible worlds theory and contemporary narratology by alice. The article analyzes the fictional worlds employed by literary historians with a tool grounded in possible worlds theory. It is indeed true that since the eighties, when the first attempts were made to draw on the theory of the.
Pdf the expressive power of the possible worlds theory in video. Actual minds, possible worlds jerome bruner harvard. Before i discuss various examples of impossible worlds, let me say a few words about possible worlds theory, the theoretical model i am working with see eco 1979. Possible worlds, artificial intelligence, and narrative theory. In his 1975 article possible worlds in literary semantics further developed in his 1986 book. Pdf possible worlds in recent literary theory marielaure ryan. Possible worlds in recent literary theory 529 philosophical belief that things might be otherwise than they are qtd. Alvin plantinga, another prominent logician, straightforwardly asserts that a possible world is a way things could have been plantinga 1974. Cambridge university press 0521450179 possible worlds in literary theory ruth ronen excerpt more information. This study substantially enriched literary theory by linking it to the modal logic of possible worlds. Its theoretical underpinnings can be traced to a number of diverse academic disciplines, including possible worlds theory, cognitive psychology, cognitive linguistics, and stylistics. Possible worlds stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
Pavel titled possible worlds in literary semantics appeared in the journal. The truth conditions for both modalities involve a commitment to possible worlds. Real worlds, possible worlds and fantasy worlds the new. Possible worlds in the history of the novel poetics. Reading the identity of dramatis personae through the. My purpose in this chapter is not to enter into a fullscale technical analysis of possibleworlds semantics, for such analyses have been ably written by others. The most influential description of this system was developed by saul kripke and is known as an mmodel or model. David k lewis possible world is juxtaposed with maurice merleaupontys lifeworld, to produce a meeting of the semantic and the phenomenological at the place of listening.
The others, the nonactual possible worlds, are creations of the imagination. Possible worlds theory and contemporary narratology. In this book ruth ronen develops a comparative reading of the use of possible worlds in philosophy and in literary theory, and offers an analysis of the way the concept contributes to our understanding of fictionality and the structure and ontology of fictional worlds. Cambridge university press 0521456487 possible worlds in.
Some little while after revising the second edition in 1989, raman prematurely and tragically died of a brain tumour. Possible worlds, artificial intelligence, and narrative theory by marielaure ryan english 1992 isbn. Starting in the mid70s, pw theory was adapted to the fictional worlds of narrative by the. Pdf possible worlds in literary theory download full. In heterocosmica, lubomir dolezel offers nothing less than a complete theory of literary fiction based on the idea of possible worlds.
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