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1 results

  • Chapter 3 - Summary Narrative and the Diegetic Present

  • Arjan A. Nijk, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, The Netherlands
  • Book:
    Tense-Switching in Classical Greek
    Published online:
    27 January 2022
    Print publication:
    17 February 2022, pp 147-232
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  • Summary

    The use of the present tense to refer to the past in summary narrative, that is, narrative passages where small stretches of discourse time cover large stretches of story time, depends upon the idea that the designated events are currently accessible through the medium of the discourse. The present tense serves to highlight the importance of the designated events for the development of the discourse. This diegetic use of the present has a predilection for certain attention-management strategies, such as cataphoric reference and complex clause structure, which puts the main clause event in focus within the wider discourse context. More specifically, the diegetic present has two main functions: marking changes in the narrative dynamic, and marking changes in the status of referents.