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RSS“Fictional” and “Fictitious”
Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary gives the same definition for both fictional and fictitious:
of, relating to, characterized by, or suggestive of fiction.
“Fiction,” of course, is anything untrue, whether it’s a lie or a novel. Webster’s gives six definitions for fiction, among them:
1 : the act of creating something imaginary : a fabrication of the mind
2 a : an intentional fabrication : a convenient assumption that overlooks known facts in order to achieve an immediate goal b : an unfounded, invented, or deceitful statement
3 a : fictitious literature (as novels, tales, romances) b : a work of fiction; especially : NOVEL
Making a distinction between fictional and fictitious, however, is both useful and customary.
Fictional tends to be used in talking about fiction in the sense of creative writing:
Alice in Wonderland is a fictional character created by the mathematician Charles Dodgson.
Fictitious tends to carry a negative connotation and is used to denote fiction associated with dishonesty:
The man used a fictitious resumé to obtain the job.
We praise Ken Follett for writing a fictional account of the building of a cathedral, but we condemn a journalist who incorporates fictitious elements in a news story.
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Thank you for putting this article in your line up. It explains the difference nicely.
You said:
Alice in Wonderland is a fictional character created by the mathematician Charles Dodgson.
But Alice in Wonderland is a book, not a character. Alice itself is a character. Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn’t the sentence be altered?
Lai Ka Yau
No, the example does not need changing.
Alice in Wonderland is a character. She’s often referred to with the identifying prepositional phrase in order to distinguish her from numerous other fictional Alices.
The title of the book in which she appears is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, commonly referred to as Alice in Wonderland.
When the book is meant, Alice in Wonderland is italicized. When the character is meant, the name is not italicized.