Peter Lamarque is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hull, England, and has recently been appointed Editor of the British Journal of Aesthetics. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Tsukuba (Japan) and the Australian National University. He is the editor of Philosophy and Fiction: Essays in Literary Aesthetics (Aberdeen University Press, 1983). Stein Haugom Olsen is Professor of British Civilization Studies at the University of Oslo, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science (arts section). He is the author of The Structure of Literary Understanding (CUP, 1978) and The End of Literary Theory (CUP, 1987).Stein Haugom Olsen is Professor of British Civilization Studies at the University of Oslo, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science (arts section). He is the author of The Structure of Literary Understanding (CUP, 1978) and The End of Literary Theory (CUP, 1987).

This most welcome addition to the philosophical literature dealing with fiction is an ample plum pudding of a book ... a rich feast. Everyone with an interest in the philosophy of literature will gain from a reading of it.

• 1. Setting the Scene ; 2. The Practice of Storytelling ; 3. Truth-Value and Pretence ; 4. Content and Characters ; 5. Reference and 'About' ; 6. Aspects, Points of View, Objectivity ; 7. Metaphysics and Fictions ; 8. Truth-Making and World-Making ; 9. Narrative and Imagination ; 10. Literary Practice ; 11. Literature and Fiction ; 12. The Theory of Novelistic Truth ; 13. The Propositional Theory of Literary Truth ; 14. Metaphorical Truth ; 15. Literature as Philosophy ; 16. The Mimetic Aspect of Literature ; 17. Fiction, Literature, and Value ; Bibliography, Index

Peter Lamarque is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hull, England, and has recently been appointed Editor of the British Journal of Aesthetics. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Tsukuba (Japan) and the Australian National University. He is the editor of Philosophy and Fiction: Essays in Literary Aesthetics (Aberdeen University Press, 1983). Stein Haugom Olsen is Professor of British Civilization Studies at the University of Oslo, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science (arts section). He is the author of The Structure of Literary Understanding (CUP, 1978) and The End of Literary Theory (CUP, 1987).Stein Haugom Olsen is Professor of British Civilization Studies at the University of Oslo, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science (arts section). He is the author of The Structure of Literary Understanding (CUP, 1978) and The End of Literary Theory (CUP, 1987).

This most welcome addition to the philosophical literature dealing with fiction is an ample plum pudding of a book ... a rich feast. Everyone with an interest in the philosophy of literature will gain from a reading of it.

• 1. Setting the Scene ; 2. The Practice of Storytelling ; 3. Truth-Value and Pretence ; 4. Content and Characters ; 5. Reference and 'About' ; 6. Aspects, Points of View, Objectivity ; 7. Metaphysics and Fictions ; 8. Truth-Making and World-Making ; 9. Narrative and Imagination ; 10. Literary Practice ; 11. Literature and Fiction ; 12. The Theory of Novelistic Truth ; 13. The Propositional Theory of Literary Truth ; 14. Metaphorical Truth ; 15. Literature as Philosophy ; 16. The Mimetic Aspect of Literature ; 17. Fiction, Literature, and Value ; Bibliography, Index

Peter Lamarque is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hull, England, and has recently been appointed Editor of the British Journal of Aesthetics. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Tsukuba (Japan) and the Australian National University. He is the editor of Philosophy and Fiction: Essays in Literary Aesthetics (Aberdeen University Press, 1983). Stein Haugom Olsen is Professor of British Civilization Studies at the University of Oslo, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science (arts section). He is the author of The Structure of Literary Understanding (CUP, 1978) and The End of Literary Theory (CUP, 1987).Stein Haugom Olsen is Professor of British Civilization Studies at the University of Oslo, and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science (arts section). He is the author of The Structure of Literary Understanding (CUP, 1978) and The End of Literary Theory (CUP, 1987).

This most welcome addition to the philosophical literature dealing with fiction is an ample plum pudding of a book ... a rich feast. Everyone with an interest in the philosophy of literature will gain from a reading of it.

• 1. Setting the Scene ; 2. The Practice of Storytelling ; 3. Truth-Value and Pretence ; 4. Content and Characters ; 5. Reference and 'About' ; 6. Aspects, Points of View, Objectivity ; 7. Metaphysics and Fictions ; 8. Truth-Making and World-Making ; 9. Narrative and Imagination ; 10. Literary Practice ; 11. Literature and Fiction ; 12. The Theory of Novelistic Truth ; 13. The Propositional Theory of Literary Truth ; 14. Metaphorical Truth ; 15. Literature as Philosophy ; 16. The Mimetic Aspect of Literature ; 17. Fiction, Literature, and Value ; Bibliography, Index