NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN’S SPATIAL EXPERIENCES: A BAKHTINIAN ANALYSIS OF THE CRONOS IN SELECTED NATIVE AMERICAN FICTION

Abstract

Time and space possess an inherent interconnectedness in the formulation of a chronotope. This research presents a rigorous analysis of the temporal dimensions employed in Tracks, The Reason for Crows, and No Turning Back, aimed at elucidating the spatial experiences of Native American women within their specific temporal contexts. In his theoretical framework of the chronotope, Bakhtin identifies two distinct yet parallel spatio-temporal entities: adventure time-space and biographical time-space. The selected works demonstrate an organic amalgamation of both refined adventure and biographical time, as well as highly developed adventure and biographical space. Within this spatio-temporal framework, the characters are depicted not as active participants in expeditions, but rather as individuals leading lives of inaction. This paper develops a temporal axis in the selected Native American works and explores how these temporal sequences align with Bakhtin’s concept of time in the Adventure Novel of Ordeal (ANO) chronotope.