"Order, Duration and Frequency" by Gerard Genette - Article Summary
Gerard Genette is a French structuralist. Genette suggests approaching narrative as though it is a discourse (a discussion, or dissertation on a topic). He discusses time in relation to narrative in terms of order, duration and frequency of events within the narrative. Order In most works of literature the order in which events are related in the text is different from the chronological succession of events. Instead there are flashbacks or flash forwards. The story may go back and forth between relating events chronologically or achronologically. Anachronisms may be repetitive if the event has already been related in the narrative, or completive if they fill in an earlier blanks in the narrative ( recalls ) or later blanks in the narrative ( announcements ). These anachronisms are used to enhance or create meaning in the narrative or foreshadow occurrences. There are variations on these, retrospections within anticipations etc. There are also achronic events, whic