Fiction as a challenge to text-oriented film studies
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21783266 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mario Slugan (Queen Mary University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 427-450 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Review of Film and Television Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1740-0309 • E-ISSN: 1740-7923 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17400309.2022.2132072 |
| OpenAlex | W4306951891 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 43 |
Fiction film remains the privileged focus of text-oriented film studies despite the growing interest in other film forms. Fiction as a concept also organizes the field’s key taxonomy – fiction v. nonfiction – yet little work has been devoted to the notion of fiction itself. The work that does exist is either textualist or spectator centred. The article argues that this leads to significant issues. First, categorization of numerous films diverges significantly from the ordinary understanding of the fiction/nonfiction divide. Second, such categorization may lead to both misunderstanding of audience experience and ethical problems alike. Third, theoretical commitments revolving around indexicality although partially applicable to documentary cannot shed light on fiction contrary to numerous attempts to do so. Fourth, one of discipline’s key assumptions – fiction films change real-life beliefs – demands a theory of the relationship between fiction and belief that is currently absent in film studies. Closer scrutiny of the notion of fiction, the article argues, is necessary to dispel these issues. Specifically, the article advocates for 1) non-textualist accounts of fiction and 2) a theory of the relationship of fiction to imagination and belief
Aesthetics · Art · Categorization · Epistemology · Fiction theory · Film genre · Film studies · Film theory · Literary criticism · Literary fiction · Literature · Movie theater · Non-fiction · Political science · Scrutiny · Sociology · Techno-thriller · Cinema and Media Studies · Computer Science · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Philosophy · Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism
The world viewed
Narration in the Fiction Film
Art and Belief
Image and Mind
The Skin of the Film
Introduction to Documentary, Third Edition
Psychoanalysis and Cinema
Film Bodies
On the psychology of prediction.
Carnal Thoughts
The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination
Textualism, extratextualism, and the fiction/nonfiction distinction in documentary studies
Narrative Absorption
The Matter of Images
Simulacra and Simulation
Epistemic Vigilance
Meta-analytic evidence for the persuasive effect of narratives on beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors
How mental systems believe
America on Film
The Logical Status of Fictional Discourse
Psychological Processes Underlying Literary Impact
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2024 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |