Paper short abstract:

Drawing on examples from medieval setsuwa literature, this paper discusses time as a narratological category, which has traditionally been closely linked to other categories. By examining characteristics of setsuwa regarding time, it is shown why they are especially pertinent to time research.

Paper long abstract:

Time belongs to the few basic categories that are constitutive of narrative. While one category or dimension (including the mental dimension) may be of special relevance to a certain narrative, time certainly plays a major role in medieval setsuwa tales, regarding both story and discourse. Firstly, in setsuwa it is frequently mentioned how much time has passed between two events, which implies that specific numbers are pertinent to the story. Secondly, tales can feature different types of temporalities that coincide in one place. And famously, some setsuwa include depictions of heterochronia, otherworlds that are not only removed in space but also differ in their temporality. Thirdly, it has often been noted that Japanese narratives relate past events as something occurring in the present. Typical for this kind of narration is the formulaic phrase ima wa mukashi, which, according to this line of interpretation, does not mean "[the events are] now in the distant past" (cf. "once upon a time") but rather "now is the past," with "now" referring to the time of the listener or reader. A similar function is ascribed to the verbal suffix -keri.

Taking setsuwa literature as its starting point, this paper explores time as a narratological category and in what ways it is related to other categories of analysis. In narrative theory, time is often seen as a category guaranteeing the comparability of story and discourse, while in truth "narrated time" and "narrating time" refer to two fundamentally different concepts of time. Furthermore, time has been linked to other categories to such a degree that the question might arise whether time may even be regarded as an independent narratological category. After discussing these theoretical issues using examples from setsuwa literature, temporal characteristics of setsuwa will be described in more detail. These include, among others, the functions of chronometric information, the relationship of time and space, the implications fantastic time concepts have for the perception of time by listeners and readers, and what other means can be employed so that the time of the story equally becomes the time of the recipients.