The Fallacy of "Fallacy" and Its Implications for Contemporary Literary Theory

The Fallacy of 'Fallacy'" concentrates on the limitations of logical binaries in constructing arguments for literary theory. My test case is claims about intention. Theorists argue either that intentions can and must be determined or that intention is a psychological entity that cannot be determined simply from textual evidence, even when buttressed by biographical contexts. But such debates center on intentions to mean. This essay argues that literary texts are makings and not statements, so they display a relation to the world rather than assert it. It follows that when dealing with makings we usually have to look not for a specific psychological intention to mean but a way of clarifying how the display works. Therefore it may be best to equate intention with the taking of responsibility that the author assumes when deciding to publish or present materials. What is a plausible account of a series of decisions that led the author to want to make something public

Epistemology · Fallacy · Political science · Publication · Sociology · Computer Science · Law · Narrative Theory and Analysis · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology