Reconfigured reality in scenarios of transformed identity, invasion and environmental threat: The diachronic exploration of recognition scenes in anglophone print and film narratives.

The article examines the diachronic development of recognition—Aristotle’s concept of anagnorisis—in Anglophone narrative fiction and film, focusing on three key forms: recognition of kinship, recognition of hostile invaders (enmity), and recognition of anthropogenic environmental threat. It traces how these recognition scenarios have evolved over 500 years, highlighting increasing cognitive, emotional, and ontological complexity, and expanding beyond traditional realist genres to include diverse media and narrative forms. The study emphasizes the growing prominence of recognition of enmity and environmental threat in nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature and film, noting distinctive narrative techniques such as suspense through delayed recognition and the expressive use of reaction shots in cinema. Overall, the paper situates recognition as a multifaceted cognitive-emotional crux that reflects broader cultural shifts, including postcolonial awareness and Anthropocene consciousness.