Fictionality and Directly Informative Relevance: A response to Richard Walsh's "Fictionality as Rhetoric: A Distinctive Research Paradigm"

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    Abstract

    In this response to Richard Walsh’s target essay “Fictionality as Rhetoric: A Distinctive Research Paradigm”, I discuss his characterization of fictionality as “independence from directly informative kinds of relevance” (Walsh,“Fictionality as Rhetoric” 399). I use my current work on unruly fictionalized encounters in Sacha Baron Cohen’s film Borat, Mads Brügger’s documentary The Ambassador, and the Yes Men’s media hoaxes to ask: are all instances of fictionality independent of direct informative relevance? I end my response by suggesting potential next steps in the investigation of fictionality beyond fiction.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalStyle
    Volume53
    Issue number4
    Pages (from-to)483-489
    Number of pages7
    ISSN0039-4238
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019

    Keywords

    • Fictionality
    • Borat
    • The Yes Men
    • The Ambassador
    • Fiction
    • Literary
    • characterization
    • Literary rhetoric
    • Rhetorical invention
    • Diplomats
    • Paratext
    • Hoaxes

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