ABSTRACT
In this paper I shall investigate what theory of fiction can be constructed on the basis of the Tractatus in general and Wittgenstein’s picture theory of language in particular. Although Wittgenstein has not commented on the problem of fictional discourse in his early writings, it is perfectly possible to make observations about it from a Tractarian perspective. In doing so I shall simply presuppose Wittgenstein’s early ontology and philosophy of language (or a particular interpretation thereof) and then try to find out what conclusions relevant to the theory of fiction may be drawn from these presuppositions. Especially, I shall try to answer two clusters of questions. First: what is the subject matter of a fictional text? what is a novel, for example, speaking about? what ontological status do so-called fictional entities have? And second: does fictional discourse have cognitive value besides, say, aesthetic or entertainment value? can we gain genuine knowledge from fiction?
