Verisimilitude as the aspect of text perception

Abstract

The article presents the results of theoretical exploration of verisimilitude as a phenomenon of (non)fictional narration. Structural and stylistic analysis of textual components in books by Diane Setterfield, Flann O’Brien, Elif Batuman shows the possibility of grading literary texts as more or less fictional. The theoretical background is based on G. Genette and Tz. Todorov’s ideas on reading modes. The theoretical results of research are presented in the form of a chart that can be further used for gradual scaling of texts as fiction or nonfiction. The authors of the analyzed texts use a variety of stylistic devices that create the effect of verisimilitude in pseudo-documentary fiction or nonfictional texts. The texts are examined by means of componential analysis from the point of view of their compositional structure, paratextual additions and plot lines. The research results indicate that verisimilitude in fiction depends on the reading mode: as informative and verifiable or as supposed speech acts working in the aesthetic function of the language.