ミシェル・ビュトール『心変わり』における形式的枠組み : 「今、ここ」の強調について

This article explains the formal framework in “Change of Heart” by Michel Butor and its effect on the work. Although the novel is known for “its use of the second-person narrative”, it also has a complex and precise structure that deserves attention. This novel, alongside the main narrative of the present (the protagonist's journey from Paris to Roma by train), intertwines evoked memories of the past and imaginings of the future in a multilayered manner, causing protagonist’s travel plans to collapse and his resolve to waver. The novel, therefore, has a complex structure that frequently uses the past and future tenses. However, it is from the mind of the protagonist in the present that the memories and plans are evoked. That is, regardless of the narrat ed chronological sequence of events, a potential double structure always ours with the present time. The stage of the train precisely connects time and space, clarifying where the protagonist is now. The insertion of demonstrative pronouns indicating the “now and here” also informs the reader of this dual structure. In addition, Butor's formal devices help the reader to understand this complex structure, joining fragments of events in various tenses into a single novel. For example, “transitional texts” (short typical expressions containing words about trains) are inserted between different time domains. Although a sentence is repeated several times, the natural flow of the narrative is uninterrupted due to the use of words associated with the train (the name of the station, the view outside the window, etc). These texts signal the beginning of a story in a different timeline and help the reader navigate a complex narrative in which the present, past, and future are linked. We conclude that these “frame structures” not only serve as signposts for reading but also constantly emphasize the “now and here” in a story in which various tenses are intermingled.