Chronology and Ideology: Temporal Structuring in Israeli Historical Documentary Series

This paper examines two major Israeli historical documentary television series, Pillar of Fire, produced in the 1970’s, and Revival, produced in the 1990’s. The series deal with the Zionist enterprise and its realization. The research applies Gerard Genette’s central narratological typology to the series’ temporal structures, through the categories of Order, Duration and Frequency. The findings show that while Pillar of Fire’s classic, linear, historicist structure serves its celebration of the Zionist narrative, Revival employs a unique, complex, multi-dimensional structure, which enables its historical multi-vocality, and supports its critical presentation of the cyclical Arab-Israeli Conflict and its revisionism of traditional Israeli history.