3. Third Track
TIME IN FICTION
Time in fiction is strictly connected with the story and plot. In a novel we are always faced with two sequences of times: the time of the story, also called CHRONOLOGICAL TIME, and the time of the plot, also called FICTIONAL TIME. An author may decide to scramble the chronological sequence of events, to enphasize some of them, and mention or summarise the others. So fictional time is usually shorter, but it may also be longer than chronological time, for example in descriptions.
We must remember that the writer is the master of his story and is free to tell it in whichever way and order he chooses.
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