The Bakhtinian chronotope : origins, modifications and additions

The purposes of this thesis are as follows:

To examine the nature of Bakhtin's concept of the Chronotpe, particularly in the novel, and to trace its conceptual origins in literature, in other branches of the Humanities, and in the Exact Sciences.

To modify Bakhtin's application of Chronotype theory to certain classes of literature, and certain specific examples of the novel and epic genres, where, in my opinion, these methods have been wrongly or insufficently applied.

To trace the History of the Chronotope in literature from the time of Homer to that of Balzac, using information drawn from Bakhtin's essays, and additionally supplemented by material of my own inclusion. These inclusions are sometimes necessary either to bridge the hiatus in Bakhtin's textual sequentiality, or to supplement the range of illustrative material to which he was confied by the dictates of Russian communist bureaucracy.