The Use of Time in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the use of time differs across literary genres. In particular, it compares the use of time as a structural device in two major literary genres, William Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" and Jane Austen's "Emma". It attempts to show how both have revolutionized the use of time in narrative to some extent and therefore provide interesting texts for discussion.

From the Paper:

"In his essay entitled The Structural Pattern (1964), Ernest Schanzer emphasizes how the first half of The Winter's Tale is replicated again in the second. The function of the Chorus of Time is not only important to highlight the contrast, but also the structural similarities. Schanzer argues that "by his gesture of turning the hour-glass Time...creates in us a feeling of repetition" . His point that "both parts of the hour-glass look alike" is a valid and significant one. Each half of the hour-glass is a mirror image of the other. In many respects, so is each half of the play. Therefore in answer to those critics such as Panofsky who believe that "the figure of Father Time is used as a mere device to indicate the lapse of months, years or centuries" , the Chorus of Time not only functions as a narrator, but also as a structural device to emphasize the repetition of events in the second half of the play."

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