A Question of time: from colonial encounter to contemporary fiction

Edited by Cindy Weinstein

Cambridge University Press, 2018

“The expertly chosen essays in this collection offer a major contribution to the study of time in American literature and culture. Ranging from the colonial period to the present, these pieces reveal the centrality of temporal concerns to the aesthetics and the politics of some of our most important texts and other cultural productions, from canonical literary works to periodical writing, indigenous oral traditions, theatrical performance, testimony, and dance.'

― Thomas Allen, University of Ottawa

A Question of Time: American Literature from Colonial Encounter to Contemporary Fiction is a scholarly collection of essays that explores how time is represented in American literature across different periods and genres. The book covers a wide range of texts, from Native American rituals to Shaker dances, and includes analysis of novels, poetry, and magazines. It’s divided into four sections: “Materializing Time,” “Performing Time,” “Timing Time,” and “Theorizing Time,” each of which examines how time is woven into literary works. This compilation provides an analysis of the role of time in shaping American literature, from its early beginnings to modern-day works.