The time on the short story “Witness” by Lidia Jorge

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the time line structure in the short story “Witness” by Lidia Jorge, through the theoretical application of the narrative text study methodology, which is proposed by Gérard Genette, and also using other theorists who have studied this subject: Paul Ricoeur and Benedito Nunes. This tale allows this kind of approach because the writer uses the narrative time as a central category in her story, evoking childhood and school scenes, recollected by the main character. The change in the temporal order (anachrony) is evident in this narrative, and the discursive organization is subverted through temporal setbacks (analepses), which contribute to the motivation of the story. As a method, the time line survey contributes to the understanding of the configuration of analepses in the narrative discourse of “Witness”, as well as in its classification regarding the narrative typology: subsequent narrative, as a whole. Because it is a contemporary tale, inversions are noted in the order of the events, sometimes without saying, being reasonable, therefore, the analysis of the linguistic aspect (expressions, time evidence) in order to assist in the identification of time variations and, consequently, in the retrospective, movement of Lidia Jorge´s tale.