Can fictions lie? According to a classic conception, works of fiction can never contain lies, since their content is not presented as true, nor is it meant to deceive us. But this classic view can be challenged. Sometimes fictions appear to make claims about the actual world, and these claims can be designed to convey falsehoods, historical misconceptions, and even pernicious stereotypes. Should we conclude that some fictional statements are lies? This article introduces two views that support a positive answer, and two that support a negative one. After examining various ways in which fictions can deceive, it concludes in favour of the view that fictional statements can mislead, but never lie.

小说可以说谎吗？根据经典观念，虚构作品永远不可能包含谎言，因为它们的内容并不是真实呈现的，也不是为了欺骗我们。但这一经典观点可能会受到挑战。有时，小说似乎对现实世界提出了主张，而这些主张可能旨在传达谎言、历史误解，甚至是有害的刻板印象。我们是否应该得出结论，某些虚构的陈述是谎言？本文介绍了两种支持肯定答案的观点和两种支持否定答案的观点。在研究了虚构的各种欺骗方式之后，它的结论支持这样的观点：虚构的陈述可以误导，但绝不会说谎。