Anachronism

An anachronism (from the Greek ἀναχρονισμός anachronismós " confusion of the times," from ἀνα ana " against" and χρόνος chronos "time" ) refers to the false chronology of ideas, events, objects or people in a context. Someone or something is placed in a historical context in which he / it did not exist anymore (back cross anachronism ) or did not exist ( anticipatory anachronism ). This can be done by mistake or out of ignorance of the historical facts, but are used in the art as intentional means ( to reach about a comic effect ). The word is also used in the sense of "obsolete" when you mean that something is not up to date / by now obsolete ', and has therefore lost its right to exist, with usually a historicist conception of progress is assumed.

The corresponding adjective " anachronistic " means " not in a certain period of time belonging ", " time- retardant " or "untimely ".

Examples

In a fictional representation of the art anachronisms can eg Be objects that are located in the wrong time. Often anticipatory anachronisms: In Novalis's unfinished novel Heinrich von Ofterdingen a wall clock comes before that did not exist at the time of the action. The same applies to Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar. In several Asterix volumes that explicitly play 50 BC, you can see the characteristic of today's cityscape of Rome Coliseum stand, which was built in 72-80 AD.

Also ahead can cross Christoph Hein in his play The Knights of the Round Table Percival occur as a sensation- hungry magazine editor and creates the connection from an early medieval legendary figure with a modern professional image a comic figure.

Less easily recognizable are abstract or mental states that anticipate a later development. The concept of modern nationality is, for example, a relatively new development so that it can be regarded as anachronistic to assign such a nationality a person of the pre-modern period.

There are social groups that maintain the anachronism in the role play by want to revive professions, social structures, clothing and weapons of the past (even partially fictional ) times; such as the Society for Creative Anachronism.