fictionalimaginary

Fictionalimaginary is a term used in literary and media criticism to describe a conceptual space where elements originate in fiction but are treated as if real within the narrative or by the audience. It encompasses devices that blur the boundary between the fictional world and imagined reality, including embedded texts, in-universe authorities, and metafictional commentary that invites readers to engage with supposed 'facts' as if they were real.

Etymology and scope: Coined from fictional and imaginary, the term signals how narrative systems manufacture credibility for invented entities. It applies across novels, films, television, games, and digital media, particularly in works that foreground world-building and self-reflexivity.

Relation to other concepts: Fictionalimaginary overlaps with metafiction, self-reflexive storytelling, and the philosophy of fiction concerning the ontology of fictional entities. It also relates to alternate reality games and transmedia storytelling, where audiences navigate between layers of fiction that resemble concrete facts.

Characteristics: Common features include an explicit or implicit frame that acknowledges fiction, internal documents or artifacts presented as authentic within the story, and cues that encourage the audience to treat fictional elements as real in the narrative's existing logic.

Examples and uses: Critics discuss how in-universe encyclopedias, news clippings, or purported historical accounts function as fictionalimaginary devices, grounding otherwise fantastical elements. The device can heighten immersion, create mystery, or explore questions about belief, credibility, and the status of knowledge in storytelling.

See also: metafiction, world-building, transmedia storytelling, alternate reality game.