For those of us who love to read.

Abstract

Using the theories of Mikhail M. Bakhtin concerning the chronotope (the authorial use of space and time combined), this discussion seeks to apply those theories to the identification of mode in selected novels. Close reading and analysis of the subject texts---Heliodorus' Ethiopian Romance , Gottfried von Strasburg's Tristan and Isolt, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun, William Faulkner's Sanctuary, and Nagouib Mahfouz's Palace Walk---attempts to confirm or deny the existence of mode-specific chronotopes in two areas, romance and realism. The texts are generally recognized as representative of the respective modes, avoiding the need to argue for their inclusion in the subject categories. After a brief analysis of Bakhtin's ideas to identify the germane parameters for the chronotopes, the discussion moves to text analysis and application of the chronotope to the text. Finally, conclusions and suggestions for further study are offered.