Friday 22 March 2013

The Structure Of The Triumph Of Time


After its Prologue, James Blish's The Triumph Of Time IN Cities In Flight (London, 1981) has eight chapters:

New Earth
Nova Magellanis
The Nursery Of Time
Fabr-Suithe
Jehad
Object 4001-Alephnull
The Metagalactic Center
The Triumph Of Time

Most of these chapter titles are developments from chapters in the previous volume, Earthman, Come Home:

New Earth is the name given to the planet that had come to be regarded as "Home" in the concluding chapter of Earthman;

the apparent nova beyond the Lesser Magellanic Cloud is in fact the planet He returning from the intergalactic journey that it had started in Earthman...;

"The Nursery Of Time" is a description of intergalactic space;

Fabr-Suithe is a city on He;

the metagalactic center is where He goes next in order to respond to the imminent event that is described as the triumph of time;

the jehad and Object 4001-Alephnull are, respectively, Fundamentalist and scientific responses (denial and inquiry) to the triumph of time.

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