ABSTRACT
Probably the currently most popular version of realism is the view that fictional characters are abstract artifacts. They are abstract not in the Platonic sense of being eternal and immutable,1 but simply in that they are nonspatial and nonmental. They are artifacts because they are human creations, generated by the activities of authors.2 Given that the versions of realism discussed in the previous two chapters had special problems with authorial creation, it’s appropriate to approach the abstract artifact theory with hearts aglow and spirits racing. I’ll start by setting out one version of the theory (based on Thomasson 1999, 2003). Then I’ll look at the data that have been used to vindicate it. Finally, I’ll give some reasons for rejecting the theory.
