Question

Prolepsis is the representation or assumption in the present, of a future act or development.
Which of the following is/are instance/s of prolepsis?

• A. “Six decades later she would describe how at the age of thirteen she had written her way through a whole history of literature.” Ian McEwan, {Atonement}.
• B. “Horatio, I am dead.” William Shakespeare, {Hamlet}.
• C. “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my head ever since.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, {The Great Gatsby}.
• D. “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” Gabriel Garcia Márquez, {One Hundred Years of Solitude}.

Hint:

To identify prolepsis, look for phrases that signal a jump forward in time, such as "later," "would," "in years to come," or statements that treat a future event as if it is happening now.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B, D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the examples of prolepsis from the given options.
Prolepsis is a literary device in which a future event is referred to in advance, as if it has already happened or is happening.
It involves a temporal leap forward in the narrative.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze each option based on the definition of prolepsis:
(A) “Six decades later she would describe...”:
The narrative voice speaks about an event that will happen "six decades later."
This is a clear instance of prolepsis as it refers to a future act (describing her past) from the perspective of the narrative's present.
(B) “Horatio, I am dead.”:
Hamlet utters these words while he is dying, but not yet dead.
He is stating a future event (his death) as a present reality.
This is a form of prolepsis where an anticipated event is treated as having already occurred.
(C) “In my younger and more vulnerable years...”:
This sentence is a reflection on a past event and its continuous effect up to the present moment of narration ("turning over in my head ever since").
This is an example of analepsis (a flashback or retrospective), not prolepsis, as it looks backward in time, not forward.
(D) “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember...”:
This is a classic example of prolepsis.
The main narrative moment is the "distant afternoon," but the sentence leaps forward to a future event ("as he faced the firing squad") to describe a memory that the character will have at that future time.
It represents a future act (remembering) and a future development (facing a firing squad) in the narrative's present.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Based on the analysis, options (A), (B), and (D) are all instances of prolepsis because they represent future events in the present of the narrative. Option (C) is an instance of analepsis.
Therefore, options (A), (B), and (D) are the correct instances.