1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910422644203321

Autore

Raghunath Riyukta

Titolo

Possible worlds theory and counterfactual historical fiction / / Riyukta Raghunath

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham, Switzerland : , : Springer, , [2020]

©2020

ISBN

3-030-53452-9

Edizione

[1st ed. 2020.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XV, 224 p. 28 illus., 8 illus. in color.)

Disciplina

809.38768

Soggetti

Alternative histories (Fiction) - History and criticism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Chapter 1. Introduction: The Genre of Counterfactual Historical Fiction -- Chapter 2: Possible Worlds Theory: History, Approaches, and its Relevance to Counterfactual Historical Fiction -- Chapter 3: New Additions to Possible Worlds Theory: Reader Knowledge Worlds, Ontological Superimposition, and Reciprocal Feedback -- Chapter 4: Redefining Counterpart Theory and Transworld Identity -- Chapter 5: The Complex and Mixed Ontology of Fatherland -- Chapter 6: The Dystopian Counterfactual World and Unreliable Narration in The Sound of his Horn -- Chapter 7: Multiple Textual Actual Worlds and Contradictions in Making History -- Chapter 8: Conclusion and Future Recommendations.

Sommario/riassunto

“Riyukta Raghunath’s monograph offers a stimulating reappraisal of alternate history fiction. This cognitively informed approach, supported by thorough readings of counterfactual World War II novels, demonstrates the vitality of possible worlds-based theories of narrative.” - Marco Caracciolo, Ghent University, Belgium This book offers a comprehensive Possible Worlds framework with which to analyse counterfactual historical fiction. Counterfactual historical fiction is a literary genre that comprises narratives set in worlds whose histories run contrary to the history of our world, usually speculating on what would have happened had a significant historical event (such as a war) turned out differently. The author develops a systematic critical approach based on a customised model of Possible Worlds



Theory supplemented by cognitive concepts that account for the different processes that readers go through when they read counterfactual historical fiction, a genre which relies heavily on pre-existing knowledge about history and culture. This book will be of interest to anyone working with Possible Worlds, including within the fields of philosophy, literary studies, stylistics, cognitive poetics, and narratology. Riyukta Raghunath is a Lecturer in the English department at New College of the Humanities, UK.