Metalepsis and the Role of Domain Experts in the Wine Manga The Drops of God

Bibliographic Data

ID21990258
AuthorsAndrew James (0000-0002-6915-3975, Institut des langues et cultures d'Europe, Amérique, Afrique, Asie et Australie, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume47
Publication date2022-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueILCEA (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2101-0609 • E-ISSN: 2101-0609
PublisherOpenEdition (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/ilcea.15064
OpenAlexW4281664783
LanguageEN
References cited30

This paper claims that the authors of the Japanese wine manga The Drops of God were able to create a convincing professional world by using real-life domain experts as fictional characters. In fiction, the device known as metalepsis involves either the illusion of a character entering our world or the introduction of real people into the narrative. The Drops of God features metaleptic movements in both directions. This paper builds upon previous FASP research which has shown that specialized genre fiction is marked by the use of distinct, specialized vocabulary and knowledge, and the presence of domain experts. These features make the professional world that is depicted seem real, thereby enhancing readerly satisfaction. While the experts in The Drops of God use wine language and terminology correctly, the hero of the manga is not a domain specialist but an iconoclast who breaks most of the rules governing the correct use of winespeak and wine appreciation. It is argued in the paper that the metaleptic incursions by real-life domain experts and fictional characters, along with the complex, contradictory attitudes expressed about domain expertise—particularly winespeak—combined to make the manga a powerful tool for wine advertising

Aesthetics · Art · HERO · Linguistics · Literature · Narrative · Sociology · Terminology · Visual arts · Wine · Artificial Intelligence in Games · Digital Games and Media · Media, Gender, and Advertising · Philosophy

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