ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we equated narrative with its story, the sequencing of events which can be paraphrased and analyzed. In order to analyze the account of Elizabeth’s entrance at the Netherfield dance as a structuring of events in sequence, we had to read the signifiers of the passage as if they were firmly bound to signifieds – i.e. paraphrasable action. We therefore sidestepped the fact that the event of Elizabeth’s entrance at Netherfield is narrated: it is not immediately present as an event but represented in language. We followed the same procedure when examining character traits, noting that they were stated directly or indirectly but ignoring that they are conveyed by a narration. For a narration to re-present events or traits they must be represented by something else: a sign system consisting of words, drawings, cinematography, and so on.
