64

This essay is based on a confrontation between philosophy of fiction (based on a philosophy of language) and Roxana. Defoe’s novel opens on a preface which is apparently opposed to the very idea of fiction. The preface is analysed as a staging of the hesitation of the reader. The study then focuses on theories of fiction, and underlines the necessity of dealing with the use and contexts of the narrative, rather than with the question of mimesis. The main character makes use of fiction through disguise which cancels out any form of stable identity. The Oriental costume enables Defoe to suggest a theory of exoticism based on economic reality as well as fiction. Finally, the study outlines the principles of a theory of fiction, at a time when the English novel was not yet defined.