chronological illusion

is the wrongheaded idea that time exist, whereas it is in fact a structural category of narrative, just as in langue temporality only exist in the form of a system... from the point of view of narrative, what we call time does not exist, or at least only exist functionally, as an element of a semiotic system.

or rather, more exactly (such at least is our wish), the task is to succeed in giving a structural description of the chronological illusion it is for narrative logic to account for narrative time. To put it another way, one could say that temporality is only a structural category of narrative (of discourse), just as in language [langue] temporality only exist in the form of a system... from the point of view of narrative, what we call time does not exist, or at least only exist functionally, as an element of a semiotic system. (barthes 'introduction to structural analysis of narrative : 99)

chronological illusion, n.All

chronological illusion