Charting Transfiction: Patterns, Open Questions, and Future Directions

’Transfiction’ refers to the phenomenon of language mediators portrayed as characters in literature. Research investigating this phenomenon has developed through a long series of case studies. While providing in-depth analyses of different instances of transfiction, case studies have produced findings that are anchored to specific texts, consequently precluding theoretical observations at a higher level of abstraction. Thus, this Element constructs a concentrated profile of transfiction. It asks about the state of the art of this research area and its potential to inform other subfields of translation studies. By adopting a meta-analytical research style, the Element retraces the development of transfiction studies, identifying patterns and lacunae. It then goes on to thread transfiction together with previously disconnected research strands, such as translator studies, suggesting new research questions and methodologies. Ultimately, Charting Transfiction provides a reference point for future research in this area, as well as other subfields of translation studies.