{"product_id":"transgressing-time-the-device-at-the-heart-of-time-travel-paperback","title":"Transgressing Time: The Device at the Heart of Time Travel - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEdward Royston\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first systemic analysis of time travel as narrative device, Edward Royston's \u003ci\u003eTransgressing Time\u003c\/i\u003e argues that as a fictional conceit, time travel can most fruitfully be understood from a narratological perspective that sidesteps questions of its plausibility. In service of this goal, Royston identifies the precise narrative device, \"anachronic metalepsis,\" that powers time travel. Existing at the confluence of narrative's power to manipulate temporality and fiction's power to transgress and displace across ontological boundaries, anachronic metalepsis demonstrates that the power of narrative itself is what enables time travel. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Royston bolsters this concept through readings of classics such as \u003ci\u003eBack to the Future\u003c\/i\u003e and Octavia E. Butler's \u003ci\u003eKindred, \u003c\/i\u003e contemporary works such as the video game \u003ci\u003eOuter Wilds\u003c\/i\u003e and Scott Alexander Howard's \u003ci\u003eThe Other Valley, \u003c\/i\u003e and lesser-known works such as the nineteenth-century Spanish novel \u003ci\u003eEl Anacronópete.\u003c\/i\u003e These readings demonstrate how time travel functions across different mediums and genres and spotlights the ways authors and creators have used anachronic metalepsis to contend with themes of exile, freedom and consequences, the powers and pitfalls of nostalgia, the nature of history and our relationship to it, and the nature of time itself.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdward Royston is Associate Professor of English at Pfeiffer University. His research lies at the intersection of narratology and science fiction studies. \u003ci\u003eTransgressing Time\u003c\/i\u003e is his first book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 190\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.44 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 27, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45819008581734,"sku":"9780814259825","price":72.43,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/bgJJz0UqSN9780814259825.webp?v=1781687955","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/transgressing-time-the-device-at-the-heart-of-time-travel-paperback","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}