Deep Time: A Literary History

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, "deep time" was a metaphorical term used by philosophers, poets, and naturalists to explore the origins of life beyond the written record. It has a rich imaginative history, with Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, Blake and Johann Gottfried Herder, and Darwin all contributing to its development.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 03 January 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In this captivating interdisciplinary book, Noah Heringman takes us on a journey to explore the origins of the concept of "deep time." While "deep time" is commonly associated with geological epochs, Heringman reveals that it emerged as a metaphorical language used by philosophers, poets, and naturalists during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These visionary thinkers sought to delve into the origins of life beyond the confines of the written record, envisioning a "the abyss of time" that provided a framework for understanding the prehistoric era. Heringman's examination of stories about the deep past, drawn from the works of visionary thinkers such as William Blake, Charles Darwin, Johann Reinhold Forster, Georg Forster, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, Blake, and Johann Gottfried Herder, challenges the conventional wisdom that the idea of deep time originated solely from the modern science of geology. Instead, he argues that deep time has a rich imaginative history, rooted in the cross-pollination of ideas across various disciplines.

One of the key figures in Heringman's exploration is Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster, naturalists on James Cook's second voyage around the world. Inspired by their encounters with Pacific islanders, they connected the scale of geological time to human origins and cultural evolution. Forster and Forster's ideas paved the way for Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, to lay out the first modern geological timescale. Drawing on travel narratives, antiquarian works, and his own fieldwork, Buffon meticulously constructed a timeline that categorized geological events and assigned them dates. Blake and Johann Gottfried Herder, meanwhile, employed the language of fossils and artifacts to promote ancient ballads and "prehistoric song." They saw these remnants of the past as evidence of a continuous human history that stretched back millions of years.

Darwin's exploration of the reciprocal effects of geological and human time is another significant aspect of Heringman's book. Darwin recognized that the fossil record provided a glimpse into the past, but he also understood that human actions and cultural changes could alter the course of geological time. His observations on the impact of human activities on the environment, such as deforestation and climate change, shed light on the interconnectedness of geological and human time. Heringman argues that deep time has figural and imaginative dimensions beyond its geological meaning. It serves as a metaphor for the vastness of time, the interconnectedness of life, and the potential for human agency to shape the future. Through his meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Heringman invites us to reimagine our understanding of time and its role in shaping our world.

Weight: 518g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691235790