In Search of Characters Without Signifiers
Aarseth, E., & Karhulahti, V.-M. (2022). In Search of Characters Without Signifiers. Narrative, 30(2), 268-285. https://doi.org/10.1353/nar.2022.0016
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NarrativeDate
2022Copyright
© 2022 The Ohio State University
This essay explores the question whether characters can exist without being signified in any way. If characters can exist trans-medially, independently of a particular form of signification or sign-vehicle, why not exist without any signification at all? What kind of existence would such a character have? And, paradoxically, what would examples look like? While the question at face value might appear logically invalid, I argue that at (or just beyond) the minimalist end of the character-representational spectrum, we find what might be called implied characters, that is, characters that are not in any way given, represented, named, or performed, but can only exist in the minds of their players during play, as a formal slot without physical, structural, communicational, or mental properties.
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Ohio State University PressISSN Search the Publication Forum
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https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/145721109
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Centre of Excellence, AoFAdditional information about funding
The research for this article was made possible by funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s H2020 ERC-ADG program (grant agreement No 695528).License
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