Chart 1. Extracted from Walker, “Hayden White’s Metahistory”
| Dominant Trope | Trope Function | Mode of Emplotment | Location of Perfection |
| Metaphor | Represent | Romance | Past |
| Metonymy | Reduce | Tragedy | Close Future |
| Synecdoche | Integrate | Comedy | Present |
| Irony | Negate/Transcend | Satire | Distant Future |