The 'escaping to the past or future' is a narrative pattern. Characters might travel through time to flee from a difficult present situation. For instance, someone escaping a war - ridden future might go back to a more peaceful past. Another pattern could be the 'redemption' pattern. A character with a troubled past travels back to make amends for their actions. There's also the 'time as a character' pattern, where time itself seems to have a will or agency in the story. It can be seen in stories where time resists the attempts of the traveler to change it, almost as if it's a sentient force.
Well, in time travel fiction, a frequent narrative pattern is the 'unintended consequences' one. When the time traveler tries to change something, it often leads to unforeseen and usually negative results. This adds drama and complexity to the story. Also, the 'lost in time' pattern exists, where the traveler gets stranded in a different time period and has to find a way back while dealing with the challenges of that era. Some stories have a 'parallel universe' narrative pattern related to time travel, where the actions in the past create a new, separate reality that the traveler has to navigate.
Narrative patterns in time travel fiction contribute by creating structure. For example, the 'time loop' pattern gives a clear framework for the story's events to unfold. It allows for character development as the character experiences the same situation repeatedly and learns from it. The 'fixing the past' pattern adds a sense of purpose and urgency to the story. The protagonist has a goal to achieve which drives the plot forward.
Time travel novels often had the following rules: Time travel to a different era or world: One of the most common topics in time travel novels is to travel to a different era or world to explore and change the history and culture of that world. 2. Changing history: Time travel novels often attempt to change history, usually by interfering with historical events or characters. Such a change could lead to a change in history or even an entire era. Search for the truth: Many time-travel novels have one thing in common, that is, the protagonist tries to find the truth. They might be trying to understand the history of the past or to reveal some secrets hidden behind history. 4. Time travel to become a certain character: Some time travel novels may allow the protagonist to time travel to become a certain character, such as a historical character, a fictional character, or a mythical character. In this new environment, the protagonist shapes his character and destiny through his own abilities and experiences. Love story: Time travel novels often include love stories where the protagonist may meet all kinds of beautiful women and have emotional entanglements with them. These women could be historical figures or fictional characters. Adventure stories: time travel novels usually contain elements of adventure stories. The protagonist may face various dangers and challenges, but they are usually able to overcome these difficulties through their own ability and courage. Back to the past: Some time-travel novels may have the protagonist go back to the past to try to change history. This kind of plot was more common in some science fiction novels. Not all time-travel novels followed these rules, but they could be used to judge whether a time-travel novel was successful or not.
One common test pattern is the use of futuristic technology like warp drives in science fiction. It's a way to test the limits of what we can imagine in terms of space travel. Another could be the creation of alien species with unique cultures and biologies, which tests our understanding of diversity. And time travel is also a test pattern, seeing how characters interact with different time periods and the consequences that follow.
The change in the narrative mode of Chinese novels can be summarized as the following stages: 1. Traditional narrative mode: The early narrative mode of Chinese novels was usually described in the form of historical events and biographies, such as "Records of the Historian" and "Han Shu." 2. Folk narrative mode: After the Tang Dynasty, novels began to absorb materials from the folk and formed a narrative mode that used personal experiences, life stories, and folklore as materials, such as "Dream of the Red Chamber","Water Margins", etc. 3. The narrative mode of the legendary novels of the Tang Dynasty: The legendary novels of the Tang Dynasty, such as Song of Everlasting Regret and Song of Pipa, created a narrative mode with love, war and politics as the theme. 4. The narrative mode of Song Dynasty vernacular novels: Song Dynasty vernacular novels such as Water Margins and Journey to the West used more easy-to-understand language and narrative methods to form a narrative mode with personal fate, social reality and human nature as the theme. 5. The narrative mode of novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties: The novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margins, Journey to the West, etc., formed a narrative mode with personal emotions, human nature and interpersonal relationships as the theme. At the same time, they also created a narrative mode with political struggles and historical events as the theme. 6. Modern novel narrative mode: At the beginning of the 20th century, with the rise of the vernacular movement, the narrative mode of novels began to change to vernacular, modern, and relaxed styles, such as "Ordinary World" and "Living". Modern novel narrative mode: In the latter half of the 20th century, modern novels such as Lu Xun, Lao She, Zhang Ailing, etc. created a narrative mode with social reality, human nature and social problems as the theme. At the same time, they also began to try new narrative techniques and language styles. Modern urban novels such as Xiao Ding's Celestial Bane and Zhang Henshui's Spring Silkworm pay more attention to the emotions and interpersonal relationships of the characters, as well as the details of urban life, creating a narrative model with urban life as the theme. Modern science fiction narrative mode: Modern science fiction novels such as Liu Cixin's " The Three Bodies " and Yang Jiang's " The Three of Us " paid more attention to science and science fiction elements and created a narrative mode with science fiction as the theme. The change of these narrative patterns gradually occurred with the change of Chinese society and cultural background, and it was also an important stage in the development of Chinese novels.
One common rule is the 'butterfly effect'. In many fictional time travel stories, a small change in the past can cause huge, unforeseen consequences in the future. For example, in 'Back to the Future', Marty McFly accidentally preventing his parents from getting together nearly erased his own existence.
One common method is the use of a time machine. For example, in H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine', the protagonist uses a device that can transport him through time. Another method is magic or supernatural powers. In some fantasy novels, wizards or witches can cast spells to travel through time. Portal - like devices are also seen, where a character steps through a special doorway or gateway to reach another time period.
Some common narrative techniques in fiction include first - person narration, where the story is told from the perspective of a character using 'I'. Another is third - person omniscient, where the narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Third - person limited is also used, which focuses on one character's perspective.
Common elements include plot, characters, and setting. The plot is the sequence of events, characters drive the plot forward, and the setting provides the backdrop.
One common theory is the wormhole concept. In fiction, characters often use wormholes as a shortcut through space - time. For example, in 'Interstellar', they travel through a wormhole near Saturn to reach another galaxy. Another is time dilation. 'Planet of the Apes' kind of uses this idea where time passes differently on different planets. And then there's the idea of time loops, like in 'Groundhog Day' where the main character relives the same day over and over.
One common device is the time machine. Think of H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine', where the protagonist uses a physical device to travel through time. Another is time portals. These can be found in various sci - fi shows and movies. For example, in 'Stargate', the stargates act as portals not only through space but also through time in some episodes.