Title: The historical present tense in Vitsentzos Kornaros' Erotokritos: narratological and philological insight
Source document: Neograeca Bohemica. 2021, vol. 21, iss. [1], pp. [9]-25
Extent
[9]-25
-
ISSN1803-6414 (print)2694-913X (online)
Persistent identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5817/NGB2021-1-1
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/144750
Type: Article
Language
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 International
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
The present article explores the usage of the historical present tense in the narration of the Early Modern Greek romance Erotokritos. Focusing on both the shape and the semantics of present indicatives designating past events in a narrative context, the analysis investigates the phenomenon from the perspective of diegetic and mimetic narrative modes and the respective discourse-pragmatic functions. First, the examination demonstrates the diegetic quality of the historical present tense in summary narratives to foreshadow cognitively salient events in the story and focalize referents important to the plot. Second, it elucidates the tense's mimetic ability in scenic narratives to create a dramatic atmosphere, and third, it illuminates the static dimension of this technique with the tendency to express mental states and psychological expressions of the protagonists. The analysis provides evidence of the use of the historical present tense as a cultivated literary device from both narratological and philological points of view, shedding new light on the diachronic development of this phenomenon.
References
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[21] Lallot, J. – Rijksbaron, A. – Jacquinod, B. – Buijs, M. (eds.) 2011. The Historical Present in Thucydides. Semantics and Narrative Function [Le présent historique chez Thucydide. Sémantique et fonction narrative]. Leiden.
[22] Leung, M. M. 2008. The Narrative Function and Verbal Aspect of the Historical Present in the Fourth Gospel. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 5, 703–720.
[23] Nijk, A. A. 2013. A Pragmatic Account of the Use of the Historic Present in De corona. Mnemosyne: A Journal of Classical Studies 66/3, 365–398, doi.org/10.1163/156852511X584946. | DOI 10.1163/156852511X584946
[24] Nijk, A. A. 2016. Re-experiencing the Past: The praesens pro praeterito in Non-narrative Discourse in Classical Greek Tragedy. Philologus 160/2, 217–250. | DOI 10.1515/phil-2016-5007
[25] Nijk, A. A. 2022 (forthcoming). Tense-Switching in Classical Greek: A Cognitive Approach. Cambridge.
[26] Nikiforidou, K. 2010. Viewpoint and Construction Grammar: The Case of Past + Now. Language and Literature 19/3, 265–284. | DOI 10.1177/0963947010370253
[27] Paraskevas, C. 1994. The Historical Present in Modern Greek Narratives. In I. Philippaki – Warburton – K. Nicolaidis – M. Sifianou (eds.), Themes in Greek Linguistics: Papers from the First International Conference on Greek Linguistics, Reading, September 1993. Amsterdam, 277–281.
[28] Paschalis, M. 2012§. O grammatologikos charaktiras tou Erotokritou. In G. K. Mavromatis – N. Agiotis (eds.), Proïmi neoelliniki dimodis grammateia. Glossa, paradosi kai poiitiki. Praktika tou 6ᵒᵘ Diethnous Synedriou Neograeca Medii Aevi. Irakleio, 451–472. [Πασχάλης, Μ. 2012. Ο γραμματολογικός χαρακτήρας του Ερωτόκριτου. Στο Γ. Κ. Μαυρομάτης – Ν. Αγιώτης (επιμ.), Πρώιμη νεοελληνική δημώδης γραμματεία. Γλώσσα, παράδοση και ποιητική. Πρακτικά του 6ου Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου Neograeca Medii Aevi. Ηράκλειο, 451–472.]
[29] Richardson, P. 1991. Tense, Discourse, and Style: The Historical Present in 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 92/3, 343–349.
[30] Rijksbaron, A. 2015. Stative Historical Presents in Greek Tragedy: Are They Real? Philologus 159, 224–250. | DOI 10.1515/phil-2015-0017
[31] Roilos, P. 2002. Orality and Performativity in the Erotokritos. Cretan Studies 7, 213–230.
[32] Runge, S. E. 2011. The Verbal Aspect of the Historical Present Indicative in Narrative. In S. E. Runge (ed.), Discourse Studies and Biblical Interpretation: A Festschrift in Honour of Stephen H. Levinsohn. Bellingham, 191–224.
[33] Shawcross, T. 2009. The Chronicle of Morea. Historiography in Crusader Greece. Oxford.
[34] Sicking, C. M. J. – Stork, P. 1997. The Grammar of the so-called Historical Present in Ancient Greek. In E. J. Bakker (ed.), Grammar as Interpretation. Greek Literature in its Linguistic Contexts. Cologne, 131–168.
[35] Sweetser, E. 2013. Creativity across Modalities in Viewpoint Construction. In M. Borkent – B. Dancygier – J. Hinnell (eds.), Language and the Creative Mind. Stanford, 239–254.
[36] Thoma, C. A. 2011. The Function of the Historical Present Tense: Evidence from Modern Greek. Journal of Pragmatics 43, 2373-2391. | DOI 10.1016/j.pragma.2011.03.003
[2] Boter, G. J. 2012. The Historical Present of Atelic and Durative Verbs in Greek Tragedy. Philologus 156, 207–233. | DOI 10.1524/phil.2012.0017
[3] Campbell, C. R. 2007. Verbal Aspect, the Indicative Mood, and Narrative: Soundings in the Greek of the New Testament. New York.
[4] Damsteegt, T. 2005. The Present Tense and Internal Focalization of Awareness. Poetics Today 26, 39–78, doi.org/10.1215/03335372-26-1-39. | DOI 10.1215/03335372-26-1-39
[5] Fleischman, S. 1985. Discourse Functions of Tense–Aspect Oppositions in Narrative: Toward a Theory of Grounding. Linguistics 23, 851–882. | DOI 10.1515/ling.1985.23.6.851
[6] Fleischman, S. 1986. Evaluation in Narrative: The Present Tense in Medieval "Performed Stories". Yale French Studies 70, 199–251. | DOI 10.2307/2929856
[7] Fleischman, S. 1990. Tense and Narrativity. From Medieval Performance to Modern Fiction. Austin.
[8] Fleischman, S. 1992. Temps verbal et point de vue narratif. Études littéraires 25/1–2, 117–135. | DOI 10.7202/501000ar
[9] Fludernik, M. 1991. The Historical Present Tense Yet Again: Tense Switching and Narrative Dynamics in Oral and Quasi-Oral Storytelling. Text 11, 365–398.
[10] Fludernik, M. 1992. The Historical Present Tense in English Literature: An Oral Pattern and its Literary Adaptation. Language and Literature 17, 77–107.
[11] Fludernik, M. 1996. Towards a 'Natural' Narratology. London.
[12] Georgakopoulou, A. 1997§. Narrative Performances. A Study of Modern Greek Storytelling. Amsterdam – Philadelphia.
[13] Holton, D. 1990. Orality in Cretan Narrative Poetry. Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 14/1, 186–199. | DOI 10.1179/byz.1990.14.1.186
[14] Holton, D. 1991a. Erotokritos. Bristol.
[15] Holton, D. 1991b. Romance. In D. Holton (ed.), Literature and Society in Renaissance Crete. Cambridge, 205–238.
[16] Holton, D. et al. (eds.) 2019. Cambridge Grammar of Medieval and Early Modern Greek. Vol. i–iv. Cambridge.
[17] de Jong, I. J. F. 2014. Narratology and Classics: A Practical Guide. Oxford. doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199688692.001.0001. | DOI 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199688692.001.0001
[18] Kaklamanis, S. 2015. O Erotokritos sta chronia tis proïmis neoterikotitas. In S. Kaklamanis (ed.), Zitimata poiitikis kai proslipsis tou Erotokritou. Siteia, 19–107. [Κακλαμάνης, Σ. 2015. Ο Ερωτόκριτος στα χρόνια της πρώιμης νεωτερικότητας. Στο Σ. Κακλαμάνης (επιμ.), Ζητήματα ποιητικής και πρόσληψης του Ερωτόκριτου. Σητεία, 19–107.]
[19] Kallinis, G. 2012. Ti einai o Erotokritos i pos ton diavazoume. To genos kai to eidos. In T. M. Markomichelaki (ed.), O kosmos tou Erotokritou kai o Erotokritos ston kosmo. Praktika Diethnous Epistimonikou Synedriou (Siteia 31/7–2/8/2009). Irakleio, 43–61. [Καλλίνης, Γ. 2012. Τι είναι ο Ερωτόκριτος ή πώς τον διαβάζουμε. Το γένος και το είδος. Στο Τ. Μ. Μαρκομιχελάκη (επιμ.), Ο κόσμος του Ερωτόκριτου και ο Ερωτόκριτος στον κόσμο. Πρακτικά Διεθνούς Επιστημονικού Συνεδρίου (Σητεία 31/7–2/8/2009). Ηράκλειο, 43–61.]
[20] Labov, W. – Waletzky, J. 1967. Narrative Analysis: Oral Versions of Personal Experience. In J. Helms (ed.), Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts. Philadelphia, 12–44.
[21] Lallot, J. – Rijksbaron, A. – Jacquinod, B. – Buijs, M. (eds.) 2011. The Historical Present in Thucydides. Semantics and Narrative Function [Le présent historique chez Thucydide. Sémantique et fonction narrative]. Leiden.
[22] Leung, M. M. 2008. The Narrative Function and Verbal Aspect of the Historical Present in the Fourth Gospel. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 5, 703–720.
[23] Nijk, A. A. 2013. A Pragmatic Account of the Use of the Historic Present in De corona. Mnemosyne: A Journal of Classical Studies 66/3, 365–398, doi.org/10.1163/156852511X584946. | DOI 10.1163/156852511X584946
[24] Nijk, A. A. 2016. Re-experiencing the Past: The praesens pro praeterito in Non-narrative Discourse in Classical Greek Tragedy. Philologus 160/2, 217–250. | DOI 10.1515/phil-2016-5007
[25] Nijk, A. A. 2022 (forthcoming). Tense-Switching in Classical Greek: A Cognitive Approach. Cambridge.
[26] Nikiforidou, K. 2010. Viewpoint and Construction Grammar: The Case of Past + Now. Language and Literature 19/3, 265–284. | DOI 10.1177/0963947010370253
[27] Paraskevas, C. 1994. The Historical Present in Modern Greek Narratives. In I. Philippaki – Warburton – K. Nicolaidis – M. Sifianou (eds.), Themes in Greek Linguistics: Papers from the First International Conference on Greek Linguistics, Reading, September 1993. Amsterdam, 277–281.
[28] Paschalis, M. 2012§. O grammatologikos charaktiras tou Erotokritou. In G. K. Mavromatis – N. Agiotis (eds.), Proïmi neoelliniki dimodis grammateia. Glossa, paradosi kai poiitiki. Praktika tou 6ᵒᵘ Diethnous Synedriou Neograeca Medii Aevi. Irakleio, 451–472. [Πασχάλης, Μ. 2012. Ο γραμματολογικός χαρακτήρας του Ερωτόκριτου. Στο Γ. Κ. Μαυρομάτης – Ν. Αγιώτης (επιμ.), Πρώιμη νεοελληνική δημώδης γραμματεία. Γλώσσα, παράδοση και ποιητική. Πρακτικά του 6ου Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου Neograeca Medii Aevi. Ηράκλειο, 451–472.]
[29] Richardson, P. 1991. Tense, Discourse, and Style: The Historical Present in 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 92/3, 343–349.
[30] Rijksbaron, A. 2015. Stative Historical Presents in Greek Tragedy: Are They Real? Philologus 159, 224–250. | DOI 10.1515/phil-2015-0017
[31] Roilos, P. 2002. Orality and Performativity in the Erotokritos. Cretan Studies 7, 213–230.
[32] Runge, S. E. 2011. The Verbal Aspect of the Historical Present Indicative in Narrative. In S. E. Runge (ed.), Discourse Studies and Biblical Interpretation: A Festschrift in Honour of Stephen H. Levinsohn. Bellingham, 191–224.
[33] Shawcross, T. 2009. The Chronicle of Morea. Historiography in Crusader Greece. Oxford.
[34] Sicking, C. M. J. – Stork, P. 1997. The Grammar of the so-called Historical Present in Ancient Greek. In E. J. Bakker (ed.), Grammar as Interpretation. Greek Literature in its Linguistic Contexts. Cologne, 131–168.
[35] Sweetser, E. 2013. Creativity across Modalities in Viewpoint Construction. In M. Borkent – B. Dancygier – J. Hinnell (eds.), Language and the Creative Mind. Stanford, 239–254.
[36] Thoma, C. A. 2011. The Function of the Historical Present Tense: Evidence from Modern Greek. Journal of Pragmatics 43, 2373-2391. | DOI 10.1016/j.pragma.2011.03.003