Écho et feintise : quelle est la différence et qui a raison ?

Dans un essai antérieur (« Why irony is pretence », in S. Nichols, dir., The Architecture of the Imagination, Oxford University Press, 2006) j’ai défendu une version de la théorie de l’ironie comme feintise — selon laquelle l’ironiste prétend adopter une perspective qui est en quelque sorte déficiente. J’ai aussi comparé cette version de la théorie de la feintise avec la théorie échoïque de Sperber et Wilson, en concluant que la théorie de la feintise était supérieure. Deirdre Wilson a répondu à cet article (« The pragmatics of verbal irony : echo or pretence ? » dans Lingua 116, 2006, 1722-1743). Dans le présent article, je réponds aux contre-arguments de Wilson. Je fournis aussi un contre-exemple à la théorie échoïque aidant à montrer que, contrairement à ce que pensent certains, la théorie échoïque et celle de la feintise ne sont pas équivalentes. Pour finir, je considère certaines conséquences, pour la théorie littéraire, de la conception selon laquelle l’ironie consiste à feindre avoir un point de vue déficient.In earlier work (“Why irony is pretence”, in S. Nichols (ed) The Architecture of Imagination, Oxford University Press, 2006) I have argued for a version of the pretence theory of irony — a version according to which the ironist is pretending to adopt a perspective which is defective in some way. I also contrasted this version of the pretence theory with the echoic theory of Sperber and Wilson, concluding that the pretence theory is superior. Deirdre Wilson has now responded to this paper (“The pragmatics of verbal irony : echo or pretence ?” Lingua 116 (2006) 1722-1743). In the present paper I respond to Wilson’s counterarguments. I also generate a counterexample to the echoic theory which helps to show that, contrary to what some have thought, the echoic and pretence theories are not equivalent. Finally, I consider some of the consequences for literary theory of thinking of irony as pretending to have a defective point of view

Art For Art’s Sake In The Old Stone Age

Is there a sensible version of the slogan “Art for art’s sake”? If there is, does it apply to anything? I believe that the answers to these questions are Yes and Yes. A positive answer to the first question alone would not be of interest; an intelligible claim without application does not do us much good. It’s the positive answer to the second question which is, I think, more important and perhaps surprising, since I claim to find art for art’s sake at a time well before most authorities would allow that there was any art at all. But I begin more recently than that

Standing in the last ditch : on the communicative intentions of fiction-makers

Some of us have suggested that what fiction makers do is offer us things to imagine, that this is what is distinctive of fiction and what distinguishes it from narrative-based but assertive activities such as journalism or history. Some of us hold, further, that it is the maker's intention which confers fictional status. Many, I think, feel the intuitive appeal of this idea at the same time as they sense looming problems for any proposal about fiction's nature based straightforwardly on the identification of fiction with the to-be-imagined. I formulate a very weak version of the proposal which is not vulnerable to some objections recently presented. My formulation is in terms of supervenience. But while this version is weak, it is also quite precise, and its precision brings into view certain other problems which have not so far been attended to. To the extent that these problems are serious, the prospects for an intentional theory of fiction look, I am sorry to say, poor; the version susceptible to the objections is weak, and anything weaker still but not so susceptible could hardly be thought of as a theory of fiction, though it might supplement such a theory

A New/Old Ontology of Film

The purpose of this article is to examine the ontological effects of digital technology, and determine whether digital films, traditional films, and pretraditional motion pictures belong to the same category. I begin by defining the parameters of my inquiry, and then consider the two most significant consequences of the new technology. §2 proposes a decisive refutation of the causal relationship between reality and photography. §3 identifies an end to the dominance of photorealistic film over animation, and argues for an inversion of that relationship, whereby animation is paramount. Finally, I consider the implications of these consequences for film ontology, compare theories, and conclude in favour of Berys Gaut, for whom digital film is the latest incarnation of a history of moving pictures that stretches back for centuries

New evidence on Allyn Young's style and influence as a teacher

This paper publishes the hitherto unpublished correspondence between Allyn Abbott Young's biographer Charles Blitch and 17 of Young's former students or associates. Together with related biographical and archival material, the paper shows the way in which this adds to our knowledge of Young's considerable influence as a teacher upon some of the twentieth century's greatest economists. The correspondents are as follows: James W Angell, Colin Clark, Arthur H Cole, Lauchlin Currie, Melvin G de Chazeau, Eleanor Lansing Dulles, Howard S Ellis, Frank W Fetter, Earl J Hamilton, Seymour S Harris, Richard S Howey, Nicholas Kaldor, Melvin M Knight, Bertil Ohlin, Geoffrey Shepherd, Overton H Taylor, and Gilbert Walker

Observational indicators of the transition from fully convective stars to stars with radiative cores

We present a discussion of the similarities and key differences between the transition onto (at the turn-on) and away from (at the turn-off) the main sequence, the latter termed the Hertzsprung gap. Using a set of model isochrones and adopting an initial mass function leads us to predict a dearth of G-type stars for any star forming region. This is caused by the (relatively) constant spectral type at which the transition from a fully convective star to a star with a radiative core begins. We also present analysis of the details of this transition in the ONC. In particular we show that a gap in the photometric and spectral type distributions is centred on, and a change in the fractional X-ray luminosity and rotation rate distribution occurs approximately at, the position of a peak in radiative core size as a function of mass. Whilst photometric signatures of this transition are lost at ages over ~20 Myrs, we show that changes in fractional X-ray luminosity and magnetic field configuration persist to older ages. Analysis of literature data show that the mass at which the change in fractional X-ray luminosity is observed decreases with age.Comment: 9 pages and 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

How to allow SAR collapse across local and continental scales: a resolution of the controversy between Storch et al. (2012) and Lazarina et al. (2013)

Up-scaling species richness from local to continental scales is an unsolved problem of macroecology. Macroecologists hope that proper up-scaling can uncover the hidden rules that underlie spatial patterns in species richness, but a machinery to up-scale species richness also has a purely practical side at the scales and for the habitats where direct observations cannot be performed. The species–area relationship (SAR) could provide a tool for up-scaling, but no valid method has yet been put forward. Such a method would have resulted from Storch et al.’s (2012) suggestion that there is a universal curve to which each rescaled SAR collapses, if Lazarina et al. (2013) had not shown that it does not: both arguments were supported by data analyses. Here we present an analytical model for mainland SAR and argue in favour of the latter authors. We identify (i) the variation in mean species-range size, (ii) the variation in forces that drive SAR at various scales, and (iii) the finite-area effect, as the reasons for the absence of collapse. Finally, we suggest a rescaling that might fix the problem. We conclude, however, that ecologists are still far from finding a practical, robust and easy-to-use solution for up-scaling species richness from SARs

X-ray view of IC348 in the light of an updated cluster census

We study the properties of the coronae of the low-mass stars in the young (~2-3Myr), nearby (~310pc) open cluster IC348 combining X-ray and optical/infrared data. The four existing Chandra observations of IC348 are merged, thus providing a deeper and spatially more complete X-ray view than previous X-ray studies of the cluster. We have compiled a comprehensive catalog of IC348 members taking into account recent updates to the cluster census. Our data collection comprises fundamental stellar parameters, infrared excess indicating the presence of disks, Halpha emission as a tracer of chromospheric emission or accretion and mass accretion rates. We have detected 290 X-ray sources in four merged Chandra exposures, of which 187 are associated with known cluster members. Only four of the X-ray sources are brown dwarfs (spectral type M6 and later). The detection rate is highest for diskless Class III stars and increases with stellar mass. This may be explained with higher X-ray luminosities for higher mass and later evolutionary stage that is evident in the X-ray luminosity functions. In particular, we find that for the lowest examined masses (0.1-0.25 Msun) there is a difference between the X-ray luminosity functions of accreting and non-accreting stars (classified on the basis of their Halpha emission strength) as well as those of disk-bearing and diskless stars (classified on the basis of the slope of the spectral energy distribution). These differences disappear for higher masses. This is related to our finding that the L_x/L_bol ratio is non-constant across the mass/luminosity sequence of IC348 with a decrease towards lower luminosity stars. Our analysis of an analogous stellar sample in the Orion Nebula Cluster suggests that the decline of L_x/L_ bol for young stars at the low-mass end of the stellar sequence is likely universal.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic