The volume Regeln der Bedeutung ('Rules of meaning') marks the launch of REVISIONEN, a projected series of some eight volumes on basic concepts of literary theory. The series aims to reflect on central concepts of literary studies which have become questionable or problematic in the course of recent debates and to open up new perspectives on them in order to make them available for research in a new manner. Such concepts include, for example, 'meaning', 'literature', 'interpretation'. The series takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing not only on literary theory but also on art history, music, philosophy, linguistics, and psychology.

Although fictional characters have long dominated the reception of literature, films, television programs, comics, and other media products, only recently have they begun to attract their due attention in literary and media theory. The book systematically surveys todays diverse and at times conflicting theoretical perspectives on fictional character, spanning research on topics such as the differences between fictional characters and real persons, the ontological status of characters, the strategies of their representation and characterization, the psychology of their reception, as well as their specific forms and constellations in - and across - different media, from the book to the internet."

Ideas about human nature are forms of anthropological knowledge; they are woven from ideas about human characteristics that vary historically and culturally: about the body, the psyche, the social context, and transcendence - in other words, about the "nature" or "essence" of humanity. Thisinterdisciplinary publication uses representative case studies to explore the particularities and evolution of ideas about human nature, as communicatedby the media, and to draw conclusions about the fundamental relationship between mediality and ideas concerning what it is to be human.

Still and moving images are crucial factors in contemporary political conflicts. They not only have representational, expressive or illustrative functions, but also augment and create significant events. Beyond altering states of mind, they affect bodies and often life or death is at stake. Various forms of image operations are currently performed in the contexts of war, insurgency and activism. Photographs, videos, interactive simulations and other kinds of images steer drones to their targets, train soldiers, terrorise the public, celebrate protest icons, uncover injustices, or call for help. They are often parts of complex agential networks and move across different media and cultural environments. This book is a pioneering interdisciplinary study of the role and function of images in political life. Balancing theoretical reflections with in-depth case studies, it brings together renowned scholars and activists from different fields to offer a multifaceted critical perspective on a crucial aspect of contemporary visual culture. -- .