Elements of Fictionality in Media Texts: Facts vs Fiction

The current article is dedicated to the analysis of fictionality in modern English media texts. Fictionality is a term applied in narrative theory, and traditionally associated with the belles-lettres style (i.e. fictional narrative). In brief, fictionality is an intentional use of invented stories, which is opposed to factuality. We found that, being a fiction-specific narratological category, fictionality may appear in some kinds of media texts in the shape of separate pieces of text of different length - fictional inclusions. In our study we relied on the works by W. Schmid, J. Jenette, R. Walsh, Paul Dawson, H. S. Nielsen, J. Phelan etc. The main aim of the work is to prove that narratological analysis may be applied not only to the belles-lettres style, but also to media texts, along with other types of analysis. Also, we focused on the types, features and functions of the phenomenon under study. Investigation showed that opinion articles are more prone to contain fictional inclusions than others, which accounts for the fact that this type of articles possesses many features of the belles-lettres style. The application of stylistic and narratological analysis to fictional inclusions led us to the following conclusions. Functions of fictionality in media texts may be numerous, including attracting attention, setting up a contact with the addressee, avoiding judgment, sharing opinion, discrediting of an opponent etc. Fictional inclusions may help in creating such stylistic devices as metaphor, irony, hyperbole, implication. Altogether, the devices and functions mentioned above contribute to language manipulation of the recipient. Also, textual markers of fictionality in media texts were found, among which there were such language means as the change of narrative modes, along with modal constructions, conditional mood, negation, change of register and hyperbolization. The given means help the reader identify fictional inclusions in media texts. The results of the research support the idea voiced by modern narratologists about blurring boundaries between fiction and other cultural spheres.

media text, media discourse, fictionality, narratology, event, narrative text, manipulation, language game

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