Spatialization of Time in Literature & Literary Theory

Spatialization of Time: Etymology, Meanings and Concept

Etymology/Term

The term “spatialization of time” stems from the way we understand the abstract concept of time (from the Old English word “tīma”) through spatial concepts and language rooted in the Latin word “spatium” (meaning space).

Meanings and Concept

• Cognitive Mechanism: The way we think about time using spatial analogies and visualize it using tools like timelines and calendars.
• Linguistic Representation: The prevalence of spatial metaphors in language when describing time (events being “ahead of us,” or a deadline “looming”).
• Philosophical Inquiry: A deeper questioning of the nature of time itself, considering how our spatial perceptions of the world might influence our understanding of time’s flow and properties.

Spatialization of Time: Definition of a Theoretical Term

Spatialization of time refers to the conceptualization of time as a spatial dimension, akin to length, width, and height. This theoretical framework suggests that time can be thought of as a dimension through which events are located and ordered, much like objects are positioned in space. It implies that time is not just a linear progression but can be navigated and understood in terms of spatial relationships.

Spatialization of Time: Theorists, Works and Arguments

Philosophy

• Immanuel Kant: In his “Critique of Pure Reason”, Kant argued that time (and space) are not inherent qualities of the world but are fundamental ways the human mind structures experience. This heavily influenced our understanding of how we subjectively perceive time.
• Henri Bergson: Challenged the linear and quantifiable view of time, proposing a concept of qualitative time or “duration.” He emphasized the subjective experience of time as a continuous flow intertwined with memory and consciousness.
• Martin Heidegger: In “Being and Time,” Heidegger explored the nature of time within the context of human existence (Dasein). He stressed the connection between our understanding of time and our awareness of mortality.

Linguistics

• George Lakoff and Mark Johnson: Their book “Metaphors We Live By” revolutionized how we understand metaphorical thinking. They analyze spatial metaphors used for time, highlighting how these metaphors inform our everyday understanding.
• Lera Boroditsky: Her research explores how language shapes cognition. She examines how different cultures represent time spatially (e.g., left-to-right vs. front-to-back), suggesting that our spatialization of time is influenced by language.

Cognitive Science and Psychology

• J.R. Evans: In his book “The Time of Our Lives,” Evans delves into the psychological processes behind our experience of time. He investigates the spatial metaphors we employ as a tool for understanding temporal concepts.
• Metaphorical Mapping Theory: Many researchers investigate how we mentally map concepts from one domain (space) to another (time). This framework helps understand how spatial and temporal reasoning might be intertwined.

Arguments

Central arguments in discussions about the spatialization of time include:

• The Universality of Spatio-Temporal Metaphors: To what degree is the use of spatial metaphors to understand time a universal human phenomenon, and to what extent are there cultural variances?
• The Influence of Spatial Cognition: Does our spatial understanding of the world fundamentally shape our perception of time, or are they independent cognitive structures?
• Time as an Illusion or Fundamental Reality: Philosophical arguments debate whether time is merely a construct shaped by our spatial understanding, or if it exists as a fundamental dimension of reality.

Spatialization of Time: Major Characteristics

• Time as a Linear Construct:
  • We commonly perceive time as a line with a clear past, present, and future.
  • Literary Reference: Charles Dickens, Great Expectations – “That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been.”
• Time as Motion (Ego-Moving or Time-Moving):
  • We feel ourselves moving through time, or we perceive time as flowing towards or past us.
  • Literary Reference: T.S. Eliot The Four Quartets – “Time present and time past / Are both perhaps present in time future / And time future contained in time past.”
• Time as Quantifiable and Measurable:
  • We use clocks, calendars, and timelines to precisely measure and represent time.
  • Literary Reference: William Shakespeare, Sonnet 12 – “When I do count the clock that tells the time, / And see the brave day sunk in hideous night…”
• Time as Tangible and Container-Like:
  • We envision events being “in” the future, “behind” us, or speak of “running out” of time.
  • Literary Reference: Emily Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death” – The poem personifies time/death as a carriage ride with the speaker, spatially containing a journey.
• Subjectivity of Temporal Experience:
  • Our perception of time’s speed and length is influenced by emotion, memory, and attention.
  • Literary Reference: Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time – The entire work explores how a simple sensory experience can unlock vast past memories, stretching the reader’s feel for a moment.

Important Notes

• These characteristics are not mutually exclusive, and authors often play with and manipulate them.
• Many modernist and postmodern literary works deliberately challenge traditional linear time representations, emphasizing the subjectivity and constructed nature of time.

Spatialization of Time: Relevance in Literary Theories

Literary Theory	Relevance of Spatialization of Time
Structuralism	Examines how temporal structures (linear, cyclical, fragmented) are used to create narrative patterns and relationships between events. Focuses on the underlying formal organization of a literary work, often involving timelines or diagrams.
Poststructuralism	Challenges traditional linear views of time, emphasizing its subjective, constructed, and potentially unstable nature. Might focus on how a text plays with time to undermine notions of a singular, objective reality.
Cognitive Narratology	Studies the ways readers use spatial mental models to make sense of narrative time. How do readers navigate flashbacks, foreshadowing, and other temporal manipulations?
Feminist Theory	Explores how the spatialization of time can reflect patriarchal power structures (linear progress = masculine). Analyzes alternative representations of time (cyclical, embodied) that may represent a feminist perspective.
Marxist Theory	Investigates the relationship between representations of time and socioeconomic systems. How does an author’s depiction of time reflect or challenge dominant ideologies about progress, labor, and historical change?
Psychoanalytic Theory	Considers how temporal distortion and the blurring of past/present in a text may reflect unconscious desires, unresolved trauma, or the workings of memory.

Spatialization of Time: Application in Critiques

How to Apply the Concept

1. Identify Spatial Metaphors and Representations: Examine how the literary work uses the following concepts:
   • Linearity vs. Circularity: Does time progress in a line, or are events presented in cyclical or non-linear patterns?
   • Time as Motion: Does the author use “moving-ego” or “moving-time” metaphors, and how do they affect the narrative?
   • Spatial Language for Time: Pay attention to words like “ahead”, “behind”, “long”, “short” when applied to time periods.
   • Visual Timelines: Are there any graphic representations of time or significant events?
2. Connect to Cultural Representations of Time: Consider the author’s cultural background and how their social understanding of time might be reflected in the work. Are there any contrasts to typical Western linear concepts?
3. Analyze Impact on Meaning: Assess how the spatialization of time contributes to:
   • Character Development: How does a character’s perception of time influence their actions and choices?
   • Themes: Does the work highlight the subjective nature of time, memory, death, or fate?
   • Narrative Structure: Does the spatialization of time influence the pacing or plot development (e.g., flashbacks, foreshadowing)?

Potential Examples: Authors & Works

• Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia): Known for magical realism and blending past, present, and future in novels like One Hundred Years of Solitude.
• Haruki Murakami (Japan): Often uses dreamlike sequences and a blurring of temporal boundaries in works like Kafka on the Shore.
• Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina): Explored labyrinths, circular time, and infinite possibilities in short stories collected in works like Ficciones or The Aleph.
• Milan Kundera (Czech Republic): Examines the impact of memory and history on individual experience with a fragmented sense of time in The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

Spatialization of Time: Relevant Terms

Term	Definition
Mental Timeline	A cognitive model where we mentally arrange events in a sequential and often linear order.
Time-Moving Metaphor	Conceptualizing time as movement past a stationary observer (e.g., “The deadline is approaching”).
Ego-Moving Metaphor	Conceptualizing the self as moving through a stationary landscape of time (e.g., “We’re moving into the future”).
Spatial Prepositions	Words like “before,” “after,” “during,” “ahead,” etc., used to describe temporal relationships.
Chronotope	(Literary Theory) The interconnectedness of time and space within a narrative, how settings are imbued with a sense of temporal significance.
Flashback	A narrative technique disrupting linear time by depicting a past event.
Foreshadowing	Providing hints or clues within a narrative about future events.
Subjective Time	The individual and variable experience of time influenced by emotion, memory, or attention.
Objective Time	The idea of a universal, measurable time by devices like clocks and calendars.
Anachronism	The deliberate placement of an event, object, or concept outside of its correct historical period within a text.

Spatialization of Time: Suggested Readings

1. Boroditsky, Lera. “How Language Shapes Thought.” Scientific American 284.2 (2001): 62-65. JSTOR. Web. Explores how language influences our spatial conceptualization of time.
2. Evans, Vyvyan. The Language of Time: The Cognitive Psychology of Temporal Language and Temporal Experience. Oxford University Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central. Web. A deep dive into the cognitive and linguistic aspects of how we experience time.
3. Heidegger, Martin. Being and Time. Translated by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson, Harper & Row, 1962. Philosophical exploration of time in relation to human existence.
4. Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. Translated by Norman Kemp Smith, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Kant’s influential work on the human mind’s categories of understanding, including time and space.
5. Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press, 2003. A foundational work on metaphorical thinking, with sections devoted to the spatialization of time.