Fictionally Fictional Object

Nothingness is inconceivable, yet at the same time it is not inconceivable because it is actually referred to. I propose several accessibility relations to illustrate that nothingness is not an object at all. The fictional object that Sherlock Holmes is belongs to the domain in some semantic context, but the fictionally fictional object that nothingness is does not. Based on this idea, I will also discuss the semantics and the pragmatics of “Nothingness does not exist”. How is it that it is not an object, unlike Sherlock Holmes, but we attribute to it nonexistence?

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Asian Studies
Published
2025-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2025.13.3.153-162
Primary Topic
Narrative Theory and Analysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Fictionally Fictional Object

Wai Lok Cheung
Asian Studies
Narrative Theory and Analysis
article

Fictionally Fictional Object

Wai Lok Cheung
article en

Abstract

Nothingness is inconceivable, yet at the same time it is not inconceivable because it is actually referred to. I propose several accessibility relations to illustrate that nothingness is not an object at all. The fictional object that Sherlock Holmes is belongs to the domain in some semantic context, but the fictionally fictional object that nothingness is does not. Based on this idea, I will also discuss the semantics and the pragmatics of “Nothingness does not exist”. How is it that it is not an object, unlike Sherlock Holmes, but we attribute to it nonexistence?

Asian StudiesVol. 13(3)
Openalex Percentile: Top 76%
Narrative Theory and Analysis
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Fictionally Fictional Object — Wai Lok Cheung · Asian Studies (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS