Time, Tense, and American Literature: When Is Now?

In Time, Tense, and American Literature, Cindy Weinstein explores how canonical American authors use a range of tenses to tell a story that has already happened, highlighting the inconsistency of retrospective status in key texts. She demonstrates how Poe's use of careening tenses, missing chronometers, and inoperable watches establishes a vocabulary of time that is anticipated in Charles Brockden Brown's fiction and further articulated in works by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Theodore Dreiser, and Edward P. Jones.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 193 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In her groundbreaking work "In Time, Tense, and American Literature," Cindy Weinstein delves into the intricate world of canonical American authors who employ a diverse range of tenses to narrate stories that have already unfolded. This thought-provoking book argues that key texts in the archive of American literature exhibit a perplexing inconsistency in their retrospective status, oscillating between the past, present, and future. By examining the narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym as her starting point, Weinstein showcases how Poe's unique approach to representing time involves a dizzying array of tenses, the absence of chronometers, and inoperable watches, thus creating a rich vocabulary of time that anticipates the fiction of Charles Brockden Brown and finds further elaboration in works by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Theodore Dreiser, and Edward P. Jones.

Throughout each chapter, Weinstein delves into the often peculiar narrative fabric of these novels, offering a profound opportunity to explore how extraordinarily complex historical moments, ranging from the founding of the new nation to the psychological ramifications of the Civil War, find contextual expression through a literary uncertainty about time. Through meticulous analysis and thoughtful exploration, "In Time, Tense, and American Literature" sheds light on the intricate interplay between temporal representation, narrative structure, and the profound impact of historical events on the literary imagination. This seminal work not only enriches our understanding of American literature but also expands our horizons by demonstrating the profound ways in which literature can navigate the complexities of time and shape our perception of the past.

ISBN-13: 9781107492707