Time Travel discussion
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SOMEWHERE IN TIME (October 2014)
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I had an unusual experience with that once. I was visiting my mom and she got a photo album out with pictures from my childhood. One shot was me playing with a particular toy airplane. As soon as I saw the plane in the photo, I smelled it. For a moment I had the exact smell of the plane reproduce itself in my brain- twenty something years later. I never knew that was possible. I would have sworn it was right there in the room but obviously only I could smell it. It definitely made me respect the power of memory.
I am just about to start reading this as soon as I finish my current read so can't make any comments on this book yet. However, photos are my favourite method of capturing time. I especially like looking back at photos of my children and comparing them with photos of me at the same age. Also, I recently came across a photo of my great grandmother and I was shocked by the resemblance. It could almost have been me in Victorian dress! Spooky and marvellous all at the same time.
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Beautifully put.
I journaled through most of my twenties and sometimes I find things I've completely forgotten, or things I'd like to. Sometimes the feeling is "Man, I was getting it all wrong." But other times I laugh right out loud. Definitely a fun way to time travel. The ink might not be fresh, but the emotions are all right there where the pen left them.
Nathan wrote: " As soon as I saw the plane in the photo, I smelled it. For a moment I had the exact smell of the plane reproduce itself in my brain- twenty something years later. "For me, it's music. I can hear a song on the radio and instantly I can visualize another time decades in the past when I was listening to the same song. It doesn't even have to be a very memorable event. If I hear the Beatle's Yesterday I flash back to when I was in a car with my sister' just driving through an intersection.
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I think I like video the best for capturing time. I was at my nephew's birthday and they gave me the video camera and I just sat and filmed the party. I didn't comment from behind the camera and just tried to take in the afternoon and everyone who was having fun and eating cake. Later that week my brother commented on how great it was to watch, he said he was so used to short choppy videos with his kids doing something specific to be filmed. He said my method was to just sit back and experience the day as it happened.
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That reminds me of a joke from one of my favorite comedians, Dimitri Martin:
"The digital camera is a great invention because it allows us to reminisce. Instantly. (holds up camera) Aw. Look at us. We were so young..."
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We meet the character of Richard as a nostalgic person facing a brief and unhappy future. Do you think his infatuation with the past is a form of escapism from his present day problems, the same way his road trip is giving him a physical escape? If you were in similar circumstances, would you be inclined to "check out" of your life or would you stay and deal with the issues among family?
The way I interpret the book is that he is checking out but not consciously seeking out the past. I think that is part of whatever cosmic power directed him to the Del Coronado.Would I do the same? If told my days were numbered I would definitely dust off my bucket list. My checkout procedures would definitely be more planned than his.
Is it just me or does Richard have some serious stalker issues?
Mika wrote: "What is your favorite method of capturing time?..."I set up a trap with a box, a stick and a string and bait with a broken pocketwatch. When Time comes sniffing round to investigate I yank the string and voila, he is captured!
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I am with you there. Richard's one-sided fascination with the photos and stories of Elise seem to border on unhealthy obsession. Makes for a good group read question...
Reading Question #4:
Have you ever let yourself become infatuated with someone you have only known from a distance, such as photos or on TV? What was it about them that maintained your interest even though you'd never spoken? What caused it to end?
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Since it's a fun, awkward question, I'll contribute my own story.
When I was in high school art class my teacher kept a collection of Life Magazines. She encouraged us to use them for practicing drawing portraits. Browsing through one, I found the photo of Gunhild Larking, a Swedish high jumper from the 1956 Olympics. The photo from the magazine is here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=gunhi...
Gunhild kept me enthusiastic about art class for a quite a while as I tried to perfect a pencil drawing of her. The drawing did not turn out as well as I had hoped and my brief obsession fizzled out, but the name Gunhild Larking has stuck with me decades later.
Mika wrote: "PREREADING QUESTION #1This book opens with our protagonist describing his thoughts and experiences on a cassette recorder. Do you think that capturing a moment via recording, photo, or journaling..."
I just started reading this as my library copy was late being returned. Only a few pages in so can't comment but the comparison to "What Dreams.." suggests a more complex novel. Look forward to reading this!
Wow. Nice picture, Nathan, and I think I understand. You're obviously a big sports fan.
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I was sad to see that our library only has the DVD and not the book. I shouldn't be surprised I guess. They rarely have any popular adult time travel books. I'm trying inter-library loan from another state for the first time. Hopefully, I'll get it before everyone's finished reading *crosses fingers*.
Amy wrote: "I was sad to see that our library only has the DVD and not the book. I shouldn't be surprised I guess. ..."You might try searching for "Bid Time Return," the title of this novel when I first read it. I'm guessing the title was changed to a more marketable version when the movie came out.
There are several reasonably priced editions at Abebooks.com. http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Searc...
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You might try searching for "Bid Time Return," the title of this novel when..."
No dice, but good idea.
Finished it today. I'm not ready to reveal spoilers but I was not very impressed with Richard. He was kind of a douche.
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I was actually planning a discussion question about Richard's intentions. I haven't finished the book yet, but this question will be relevant for anyone who has made it to 35% or so. Use spoiler tags in your responses as necessary.
Reading Question #5 (Answer at 35%)
Richard's obsessive research on Elise reveals that (view spoiler)
Nathan wrote: "Reading Question #5"You hit the nail on the head. If this is supposed to be a romance it fails. Richard isn't romantic. He is selfish with a capitol S. (view spoiler) I challenge you to find one commendable thing to say about him.
I am a little late to the game this month. Recently changed jobs at work and am swampped learing new tasks. Will dust off my copy tonight and play catch up.A1. - I denfinitely think looking at old photos, or journal entries can be a form of time travel. My grandparents used to winter in Florida and my Dad would send cassette recordings to them once or twice a month. Just sort of daily journal entries of what was new in town, how the winter was, what was going on with our family. I still have a couple of those tapes my grandparents gave us and they are a beautiful way to "visit the past" and my younger self and family.
A2. I think photographs are the best form of capturing time and like other people have said they are the best when you haven't seen them in a while or discover a new to you photograph. One of the ways I recommend people "time travel" is borrow a photo album (if people still have them) of friends or family of yours and see yourself from another person's perspective. Chances are there are lots of pictures you are not familar with.
Lovely post Andy. And I totally agree that photos are excellent time travel vehicle. I am catching up on my reading too. It's already been commented on but the flat voice beginning does not work for me. He sounds like a parody of a forties detective story
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Thanks for taking one for the team Nathan...I hope others who read the book enjoyed it more then yourself.
Let's all watch the movie now....RICHARD!!!
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Do you believe that love is a force of nature or a purely human emotion? In this book, Richard behaves as though he cannot resist his own desire and love for Elise. Were his actions justified by love? If so, can they still be considered romantic?
I don't believe that love compels us to do that which we shouldn't and it is no excuse for thoughtless behavior. One of the reading questions a few months back was "Is romance a good idea for time-travelers?' or something to that effect. My response at the time was 'Yes, it complicates the plote and makes it much more entertaining for readers. Richard knew that his time with Elise would probably be temporary and yet he did nothing to share that knowledge with her. He even lied to her and told her he would be with her always. Bottom line: "Love is an irresistible force of nature" is a pick-up line used only by impulsive assholes and there is nothing romantic about it.
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Richard has a habit of (view spoiler) I think that is a symptom of his egotistical nature.
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Tom wrote: "Is it just me or does Richard have some serious stalker issues?"I got that impression as well. But nowadays we're just more aware of stalker behavior. I kept thinking, though, that Richard has a brain tumor, his days are numbered, and he must be very desperate to find some kind of meaning in his life! And that meaning is Elise McKenna.
Nathan wrote: " Tom wrote: Richard knew that his time with Elise would probably be temporary and yet he did nothing to share that knowledge with her. He even lied to her and told her he would be with her always....."I think Richard is desperate to have a romantic connection before he dies and he finds that in Elise McKenna. However, let's just say that he did NOT travel in time and his 'trip' was delusional because of his brain tumor. There are sections of the book that made me feel that perhaps he was having an hallucination. Like when he saw a mosquito land on his hand in November and also when he saw mice scattering around the parking lot (a parking lot in 1896?). But then, he WAS dreaming when he 'saw' the mice.
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Amy wrote: "Oh, this is interesting. Here's the "real" Elise McKenna: http://www.pcs.org/blog/item/maude-ad..."Fascinating! It's easy to see that seeing a striking photograph would be that spark that inspired this novel.
Amy wrote: "Oh, this is interesting. Here's the "real" Elise McKenna: http://www.pcs.org/blog/item/maude-ad..."Great find, Amy. Now if you can come up with a picture of Matheson posing with her in 1900, we're really on to something!
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One thing that struck me from the beginning is that Richard Matheson has named his 1st person character Richard. Usually, when authors give a character their own name, they seem to do it for a reason. One that comes to mind is Charles Darnay in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Interestingly, the first person Richard meets when crossing over to 1896 is someone that reminds him of Charles Dickens. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.
Another thing that strikes me is that Richard has a brain tumor. A close relative of mine with a brain tumor lives with the illusion that she's in another time. She makes up stories about her surroundings but places them in another time and populates her world with people who aren't really there. Is this what's happening to Richard?
I'm trying to determine just how creepy Richard is. A man meets me on the beach, knows my name, declares his love for me, and acts ill. However, I'm attracted to him. Does that attraction overcome the creepy factor? Does that attraction make me pull down my guard? He's good looking. That must make him alright? Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd think Matheson was going to turn Collier into an end-of-life serial killer.
Yes, the name bit did make me think he was using it to make us accept it as a true story. The way you describe him, he sounds almost Ted Bundyish.
Mika wrote: "Amy wrote: "Is anyone else listening to Mahler while reading this? It's a nice touch."
What a cool idea! I'll have to get some red wine in as well."
Be careful! You have no idea where that might take you.
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"
What a cool idea! I'll have to get some red wine in as well."
Be careful! You have no idea whe..."
Whatever you do, don't throw in cosummé & toast to the mix ...
Would have *loved* to re-read this one with all of you this month, but things have been a bit crazy. This was the very first time travel book I ever read. Although, thinking about this last question...I wonder if Richard wouldn't seem much more stalker-ish to me now than he did to my 14 year old self. :)
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Although, thinking about this last ques..."
Right. Many 14 year olds obsess over people they have crushes on, so it wouldn't seem nearly as creepy to a teenager as to an adult I'd imagine. Even receiving declarations of love from someone you only know by sight isn't that out of the ordinary in high school. And whether or not you respond positively or negatively to that declaration usually depended on your level of attractedness to the person.
There's so much old literature in which characters fall in love at first sight or declare their love after barely knowing each other. In literature of Elise's time period, it seems that people got married younger without even really dating. So maybe it wouldn't seem nearly as strange to a lady of the 1890s as to a modern lady.
Although I'm usually a bit of a skeptic on the whole love at first sight thing, I'm starting to wonder. I don't think it *always* happens that way--or even as often as it happens in books--but I sat at a table with two different people last week (both guys) who said they and their wives fell in love the first day they met. And they've both been married for quite some time. These were sci-fi writers, who aren't usually the sappy romantic types, so I'm going to try to curb my mental eye-roll when I hear the term. ;)
I agree with Rysa. And perhaps our modern fixation with "dateing" is a throwback to various cultures courting ways. But they were usually more serious in intent than dating. As for love at first sight - it happens a lot -. There are many unknown aspects of the mind, energy fields, hormones and possibly reincarnation that might create that instant attraction, much like our protagonist in Somewhere in Time.
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Inspires a new reading question.
READING QUESTION # 7
Many feel romance has changed in the last 100 years. Does our current era still compete? What is the most romantic real-life first meeting you know of? Could have been something that happened to you or to someone else.
I love that reading question you brought up, and I'm happy to be discussing the romantic aspects of books! Although I have yet to experience a romantic real-life meeting, I've always imagined it would be with a guy that was reaching for the same book as me in a bookstore! That would be stellar :D
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I found (view spoiler)
Romance is completely subjective, but it has changed drastically over the last 100 years. Back then it wasn't proper for men and women to associate without a chaperone, and a woman's parents had a lot to do with who their daughter married. And then it had less to do with whether the woman loved the man than it did with the wealth he could provide her with.
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Also, am I correct that he never told Elise that he was a time traveler?
Time Travel
Books mentioned in this topic
Memoirs of Elise (other topics)Memoirs of Elise (other topics)
A Tale of Two Cities (other topics)
Somewhere In Time (other topics)
It's time for romance! This month we discuss Somewhere in Time
By Richard Matheson
Here is the blurb:
Like What Dreams May Come, which inspired the movie starring Robin Williams, Somewhere in Time is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy.
Matheson's classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hotel in San Diego in 1896, where he finds his soul mate in the form of a celebrated actress of the previous century. Somewhere in Time won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1979 movie version, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, remains a cult classic whose fans continue to hold yearly conventions to this day.
Where to buy the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Somewhere-In-Ti...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/somew...
I've seen the movie starring Christopher Reeve but was curious to see what differences the book might have. I was immediately surprised by the writing style: short sentence fragments as the character essentially dictates his experiences into a voice recorder. I haven't read that style before. That inspires the first prereading questions.
PREREADING QUESTION #1
This book opens with our protagonist describing his thoughts and experiences on a cassette recorder. Do you think that capturing a moment via recording, photo, or journaling can be considered a form of time travel?
PREREADING QUESTION #2
What is your favorite method of capturing time?