Pictorial Narratives and Temporal Refinement

Abstract

Refinements are proposed to the default reading of two successive pictures p,p' as p and then p'. The refinements are based on the Aristotelian dictum, no time without change, and the principle of inertia, no change without force, guided by the adage, a picture's worth a thousand words. Words describing pictures are formalized as predicates, some stative and some non-stative (expressing forces), and interpreted (in either case) over strings qua models, subject to finite-state projections supporting variable granularity. A form of string iconicity is explored, with an eye to more transparent representations.