Literary Thickness

British Journal of Aesthetics 55 (3):343-360 (2015)
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Abstract

In this paper, I shall demonstrate the value of the concept of literary thickness – i.e. form-content inseparability – as a tool of literary appreciation. I set out the relationships between non-fiction, fiction, literature, and poetry in Section 1 and sketch a preliminary definition of literary thickness in Section 2. I argue that a convincing account of reference in literary fictions can be provided by means of literary thickness in Sections 3 and 4. I argue that the match between authorial intention and reader response characteristic of the experience of literary works is explained by literary thickness in Section 5. In Section 6, I test the usefulness of the concept of literary thickness against Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang.

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Rafe McGregor
Edge Hill University

Citations of this work

‘Truth in Fiction’ Reprised.Manuel García-Carpintero - 2022 - British Journal of Aesthetics 62 (2):307-324.
Structure Disclosed. Replete Moments and Aesthetic Experience in Reading Novels.Kalle Puolakka - 2019 - International Journal of Philosophical Studies 27 (4):544-561.

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