LINGUISTIC DATA AND FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

ABSTRACT. According to abstract creationist views, fictional characters are contingently existing abstract entities. Thomasson and others have showed that creationism can be successfully defended against standard objections. I will argue, however, that the main claims of creationism are flawed in light of the available linguistic data. After delineating the basic problems of this view, I will briefly consider two alternative approaches. An important advantage of these alternatives is that they are able to provide a more adequate description of the origin of fictional characters. pp. 140–151

Keywords: fictional characters; abstracta; authorial creation; linguistic data