What is Anachronism? This is probably the first question that will come to your mind, even before you hunt for anachronism examples in literature. The word anachronism, is taken from the Greek language. The term itself can be broken down into two parts, ana, which means up, against and back, while the word chronos, means time. Thus, anachronism is basically an error in chronology or timeline of a piece of art or literature.
Anachronism Definition and Meaning
The term anachronism is interpreted and understood by people in different manners. Many people believe that irregularity in chronology is anachronism. A better interpretation of the term is that anything that seems out of timeline or out of place, is anachronism. Furthermore, some literary experts comment that anachronism is any chronological inconsistency in a given piece of art. In some cases, anachronism is unintentional and is often classified as a mistake. However, in certain cases, it is also classified as an intentional engineering within the timeline that adds more effect to the art. It must be noted that people often stick to art works based upon real life to give an example of anachronism. Hence, works of imagination and science fiction are rarely presented as anachronism examples in literature, though there have been some exceptions.
A common anachronism example is seen in the world famous painting The Last Supper by the legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci. Oranges are clearly visible in the painting and art experts have pointed out their presence as a factual error. Historians state that oranges were bought to Europe in the 15th Century A.D. by Dutch sailors from the Indian subcontinent. In comparison to that, the events of the last supper occurred many centuries beforehand.
Anachronism Examples in Literature
Anachronism in Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare is a popular example.
Brutus: Peace! count the clock.
Cassius: The clock has stricken three.
(From Act II, scene i : lines 193 - 194 of Julius Caesar)
The year was 44 A.D, and there were no mechanical clocks at the time of Julius Caesar. Another dialog from the same play is prominent among anachronism examples in literature.
'he plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut'
A doublet is a garment that was worn during the time of Shakespeare, and not during the time of Julius Caesar.
Another similar reference can be cited in the works of Shakespeare. In the play Hamlet, the main character who is also named Hamlet, is the Prince of Denmark, attending the University of Halle-Wittenberg, which was established in 1502 A.D, while the timeline of the entire play is set in the 7th century or 13th century (as some people argue).
BolesA,aw Prus, a Polish novelist and the author of the novel Pharaoh, was based on the timeline of the regime of Ramses XII. The novel has a timeline that lasts from 1087 to 1085 B.C.E. The novel also has a mention of a canal that has the same magnitude of the Suez Canal, the construction of which began in the 19th century. Though it must be noted that Prince Hiram's canal existed much, much before the timeline of the novel, but was very small in comparison to the Suez Canal.
One can also argue that Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, which was published in 1869, to be an example of anachronism. In fact the whole book contains many such examples, such as the submarine, nautilus, the technology within the submarine, etc. Facts such as discovery of the site of Atlanta, battle of Vigo Bay, the race for Antarctic, diving suits are quite out of the place.
Anachronism examples in literature are plenty. There is however no specific doctrine that can be followed to define one. The magical world of Harry Potter can also become an example of anachronism. The book also offers some examples of anachronism in a sentence, such as Mr Weasley's flying car. Cars in today's era don't fly, but manufacturers might come up with something like that with the advancement of technology. Here's where I put down my quill (sign off). Good luck!
Anachronism Definition and Meaning
The term anachronism is interpreted and understood by people in different manners. Many people believe that irregularity in chronology is anachronism. A better interpretation of the term is that anything that seems out of timeline or out of place, is anachronism. Furthermore, some literary experts comment that anachronism is any chronological inconsistency in a given piece of art. In some cases, anachronism is unintentional and is often classified as a mistake. However, in certain cases, it is also classified as an intentional engineering within the timeline that adds more effect to the art. It must be noted that people often stick to art works based upon real life to give an example of anachronism. Hence, works of imagination and science fiction are rarely presented as anachronism examples in literature, though there have been some exceptions.
A common anachronism example is seen in the world famous painting The Last Supper by the legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci. Oranges are clearly visible in the painting and art experts have pointed out their presence as a factual error. Historians state that oranges were bought to Europe in the 15th Century A.D. by Dutch sailors from the Indian subcontinent. In comparison to that, the events of the last supper occurred many centuries beforehand.
Anachronism Examples in Literature
Anachronism in Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare is a popular example.
Brutus: Peace! count the clock.
Cassius: The clock has stricken three.
(From Act II, scene i : lines 193 - 194 of Julius Caesar)
The year was 44 A.D, and there were no mechanical clocks at the time of Julius Caesar. Another dialog from the same play is prominent among anachronism examples in literature.
'he plucked me ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut'
A doublet is a garment that was worn during the time of Shakespeare, and not during the time of Julius Caesar.
Another similar reference can be cited in the works of Shakespeare. In the play Hamlet, the main character who is also named Hamlet, is the Prince of Denmark, attending the University of Halle-Wittenberg, which was established in 1502 A.D, while the timeline of the entire play is set in the 7th century or 13th century (as some people argue).
BolesA,aw Prus, a Polish novelist and the author of the novel Pharaoh, was based on the timeline of the regime of Ramses XII. The novel has a timeline that lasts from 1087 to 1085 B.C.E. The novel also has a mention of a canal that has the same magnitude of the Suez Canal, the construction of which began in the 19th century. Though it must be noted that Prince Hiram's canal existed much, much before the timeline of the novel, but was very small in comparison to the Suez Canal.
One can also argue that Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, which was published in 1869, to be an example of anachronism. In fact the whole book contains many such examples, such as the submarine, nautilus, the technology within the submarine, etc. Facts such as discovery of the site of Atlanta, battle of Vigo Bay, the race for Antarctic, diving suits are quite out of the place.
Anachronism examples in literature are plenty. There is however no specific doctrine that can be followed to define one. The magical world of Harry Potter can also become an example of anachronism. The book also offers some examples of anachronism in a sentence, such as Mr Weasley's flying car. Cars in today's era don't fly, but manufacturers might come up with something like that with the advancement of technology. Here's where I put down my quill (sign off). Good luck!
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