Interpreting Literary Characters Through Diagnostic Properties

Bibliographic Data

ID20249490
AuthorsEmilio M Sanfilippo (0000-0003-2511-2853, Université de Tours, corresponding author), Claudio Masolo (0000-0002-0764-8630, Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione "Alessandro Faedo"), Gaia Tomazzoli (0000-0002-0200-9872, Sapienza University of Rome)
Year2025
Volume14
Issue11
Pages213
Publication date2025-10-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHumanities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0787 • E-ISSN: 2076-0787
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/h14110213
OpenAlexW4415619895
LanguageEN
References cited34

This paper investigates an approach to studying analytic relations (identity, similarity, borrowing, etc.) between literary characters using properties and, in particular, properties that are interpretively considered as diagnostic. In our proposal, properties serve as interpretative tools rather than strict ontological features. Unlike most ontological theories of literary characters developed in analytic philosophy, our study focuses on how real-world interpreters construct textual meaning while remaining agnostic about the ontological status of literary entities (ficta, in a more general sense). By integrating perspectives from literary criticism, philosophy, and formal methods, we explore how scholars infer relations between characters through textual evidence, common knowledge, and interpretive frameworks. This research aims at refining methodological approaches to character analysis and at contributing to broader discussions on literary interpretation and fictionality

Interpreter · Literary criticism · Ethics, Aesthetics, and Art · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Narrative Theory and Analysis

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access