Chapter 10. Conclusion
-
Reiko Ikeo
Abstract
Present-tense narrative has often been discussed as a technique that construes a narrative sphere different from that created by past-tense narrative. Such discussions have tended to focus on the relationship between the narrating and narrated time, or whether the narrative tense is used as a deictic or a-deictic marker of time in narrative, as the title of Casparis’ seminal work Tense without Time (1975) shows. Acknowledging the diverse nature of the use of the narrative present tense, many studies take theoretical and conceptual approaches to analysing particular titles of contemporary present-tense narrative by encapsulating the developments of the stories. We have taken a different approach to contemporary present-tense narrative. Being aware of the narratological significance of the use of the present tense for story-telling and its historical background, we have chosen to take a bottom-up approach to investigate the stylistic effects and the narratological ramifications of contemporary present-tense narrative, comparing them with those of 20th-century past-tense narrative. For this purpose, we created two corpora, PREST and PAST. We have examined both the linguistic structures and discourse presentation in the two types of narrative by deploying two annotation schemes: annotating the texts of each corpus with (a) part of speech tags and (b) discourse presentation tags. These two annotation systems enabled us to analyse each corpus in terms of both their grammatical, lexical configurations and discourse presentation categories. As our two corpora differ not only in the narrative tense used but also in the time frames of publication years, the stylistic differences and noticeable contrasts in discourse presentation in the two corpora summarised below are attributable either to the use of the narrative tense or diachronic changes in written English or both.
Abstract
Present-tense narrative has often been discussed as a technique that construes a narrative sphere different from that created by past-tense narrative. Such discussions have tended to focus on the relationship between the narrating and narrated time, or whether the narrative tense is used as a deictic or a-deictic marker of time in narrative, as the title of Casparis’ seminal work Tense without Time (1975) shows. Acknowledging the diverse nature of the use of the narrative present tense, many studies take theoretical and conceptual approaches to analysing particular titles of contemporary present-tense narrative by encapsulating the developments of the stories. We have taken a different approach to contemporary present-tense narrative. Being aware of the narratological significance of the use of the present tense for story-telling and its historical background, we have chosen to take a bottom-up approach to investigate the stylistic effects and the narratological ramifications of contemporary present-tense narrative, comparing them with those of 20th-century past-tense narrative. For this purpose, we created two corpora, PREST and PAST. We have examined both the linguistic structures and discourse presentation in the two types of narrative by deploying two annotation schemes: annotating the texts of each corpus with (a) part of speech tags and (b) discourse presentation tags. These two annotation systems enabled us to analyse each corpus in terms of both their grammatical, lexical configurations and discourse presentation categories. As our two corpora differ not only in the narrative tense used but also in the time frames of publication years, the stylistic differences and noticeable contrasts in discourse presentation in the two corpora summarised below are attributable either to the use of the narrative tense or diachronic changes in written English or both.
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of tables xi
- List of figures xvii
- List of abbreviations xix
- Chapter 1. Narrative tense 1
- Chapter 2. Present tense in fiction 16
- Chapter 3. Corpus stylistics and our corpora 34
- Chapter 4. The Semino and Short model and the annotation of PREST and PAST 47
- Chapter 5. Comparisons of lexis and grammatical structures in PREST and PAST 71
- Chapter 6. Comparisons of speech presentation in PREST and PAST 97
- Chapter 7. Comparisons of writing presentation in PREST and PAST 144
- Chapter 8. Comparisons of thought presentation in PREST and PAST 156
- Chapter 9. Comparisons of narration in PREST and PAST 210
- Chapter 10. Conclusion 245
- Titles of novels and short stories in the corpora 257
- References 260
- Index 267
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of tables xi
- List of figures xvii
- List of abbreviations xix
- Chapter 1. Narrative tense 1
- Chapter 2. Present tense in fiction 16
- Chapter 3. Corpus stylistics and our corpora 34
- Chapter 4. The Semino and Short model and the annotation of PREST and PAST 47
- Chapter 5. Comparisons of lexis and grammatical structures in PREST and PAST 71
- Chapter 6. Comparisons of speech presentation in PREST and PAST 97
- Chapter 7. Comparisons of writing presentation in PREST and PAST 144
- Chapter 8. Comparisons of thought presentation in PREST and PAST 156
- Chapter 9. Comparisons of narration in PREST and PAST 210
- Chapter 10. Conclusion 245
- Titles of novels and short stories in the corpora 257
- References 260
- Index 267
