`When Discourse is Torn from Reality'

Abstract

The aim of this article is to secure the basis for an interdisciplinary critique of Bakhtin's notion of the `chronotope' (`time-space') and to argue for its relevance to several different research agendas within time studies. First, the article outlines the contours of Bakhtin's dialogical approach to language and its implications for theorizing a text's ontological assumptions regarding time and space. Second, the concept of the `chronotope' is addressed by prioritizing for discussion its advantages as a heuristic device. Next, three specific chronotopes are described, followed by an evaluative appraisal of the resultant `principle of chronotopicity'. Finally, the article concludes with a series of suggestions regarding the future refinement of this approach for alternative applications in time studies.