Final paper: Time Out
The works we have looked
at this semester all use the element of time in distinct, unusual ways. In such
works, chronological sequences of events are often altered, time may be
suspended, accelerated, even reversed. Such works employ flashbacks,
flashforwards, overlapping sequences, memories, reversals, or other devices to
alter the reader’s perception of time or establish relationships among events.
Choose three works from this semester’s readings. For each, show how the author’s manipulation of
time contributes to the effectiveness of
the work as a whole. This “effectiveness” may in part be based on the
facilitation of plot, but it should also involve consideration of the way in
which altered chronology is related to larger issues in the work as a whole.
Think, for example, about the extent to which altered chronology serves as a
device to heighten our understanding of other central questions or whether time
is itself a major theme in the work.
If you are able to go even
further, you might attempt to make connections among the works you choose.
Perhaps two authors distort time for similar purposes; perhaps your chosen
works illustrate a distinct range of methods and purposes. Perhaps you will
find some other pattern worthy of discussion.
Your paper should be
approximately 6-8 pages in length; parenthetical citations should be used for
textual support; any additional information, ideas, or language must, of
course, be scrupulously cited.
See the assignment schedule on my
blog for submission information, electronically on December 15, hard copy on
15th or 16th. Be sure to pay special attention to submission deadlines. On
turnitin the assignment will be label “Final fall 2014.”
