Chronopoiesis and chronotrophy in comics

Abstract

This article proposes a reflection on the “continuities of the process” in narratives, defined by the closure of the space and by the waiting in time (chronopoiesis), as well as on the “halts of the process” in narratives, defined by the opening of the space and by the repose in time (chronotrophy). In Claude Zilberberg?s proposal about the missive making (le faire missif ), it means, the profound making that governs the becoming of the narratives, temporality and spatiality are related to the categories of closure and opening. The terms chronopoiesis and chronotrophy, established by Zilberberg from the Greek stems, have etymologically in common the stem “krónos”, the time. The first term is added to “poiesis”, “creation”; the second comes together with “trophê”, the “feeding”, the “development”. The remissive making, that carries the “continuities of the process”, is chronopoietic (the expectant temporality, which creates the waiting time), and spatially closed. On the other hand, the emissive making, which carries the “halts of the process”, is chronotrophic (the “originating” temporality, because it is “fed”, creating the passing time) and spatially open. Our reflection on chronopoiesis and chronotrophy aims at verifying if these temporal operations of the missivity necessarily correspond to spatial closures and openings, respectively, as the Zilberberg’s model proposes, in verbo-visual narratives, specifically in comics.