History Literature / TimeAndAgain

Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription.

Much of the early part of the novel is devoted to [[AuthorAppeal the protagonist's]] lovingly created {{Nostalgia}} for the period, creating a definite mood for the setting.

NeedsABetterDescription.

* A conversational duel between two nineteenth century [[LargeHam Large Hams]] is observed by Morley from his twentieth century perspective: "And now [[spoiler: Pickering]] and [[spoiler: Carmody]] were acting their roles in a time when the melodramatic conventions of the stage were largely accepted as reality. Deadly serious, meaning every word, each of them, I think, was also appreciating his own performance."

A classic time TimeTravel novel written in 1970 by Jack Finney. Commercial artist Simon "Si" Morley is chosen as a candidate for a government experiment in MentalTimeTravel. However, Si (through his girlfriend) has [[BornInTheWrongCentury a personal stake in]] the time period in question, which leads him to take a trip back to the New York of the 1880s. Slow-paced, exceptionally well-researched intrigue follows as Si attempts to solve a nearly hundred-year-old-mystery.

It helps that the Victorian Gothic Dakota Apartments received RetroactiveRecognition due to this novel, becoming once again the home to high-class artistes such as JohnLennon.

* A conversational duel between two nineteenth century [[LargeHam Large Hams]] is observed by Morley from his twentieth century perspective: "And now [[spoiler: Pickering and Carmody]] were acting their roles in a time when the melodramatic conventions of the stage were largely accepted as reality. Deadly serious, meaning every word, each of them, I think, was also appreciating his own performance."

* A conversational duel between two nineteenth century {{LargeHam}}s is observed by Morley from his twentieth century perspective: "And now [[spoiler: Pickering and Carmody]] were acting their roles in a time when the melodramatic conventions of the stage were largely accepted as reality. Deadly serious, meaning every word, each of them, I think, was also appreciating his own performance."

* TheChosenOne: Si Morley. More accurately, he's one of the chosen few. Unusually for this trope, the process of finding and recruiting the very few people capable of time travel is portrayed as being handled rationally and systematically by the US government.

* Duelling nineteenth century {{LargeHam}}s observed by Morley with his twentieth century perspective: "And now [[spoiler: Pickering and Carmody]] were acting their roles in a time when the melodramatic conventions of the stage were largely accepted as reality. Deadly serious, meaning every word, each of them, I think, was also appreciating his own performance."

* TheChosenOne: Si Morley. More accurately, he's one of the chosen few. Unusually for this trope the process of finding and recruiting the very few people capable of time travel is portrayed as being handled rationally and systematically by the US government.

* TheChosenOne: Si Morley. More accurately, he's one of the chosen few. Unusually for this trope the process of choosing is handled rationally and systematically.

* ForegoneConclusion: Invoked and lampshaded regarding the nature of the top-secret project that Si Morley is being asked to join. It is obvious from the very [[SpoilerTitle title of the book]], not to mention the blurb and cover art, that time travel is going to be involved somehow. In-universe, Morley himself acknowledges that what all these people in their incredibly realistic historical stage sets had been attempting to do had been clear to him for some time before either he or anyone else came out and said it. Nonetheless the scenes in which Morley goes from bemusement to awed understanding as to what the Project is, and why an unsuccessful commercial artist like him is being offered a role in it, are real page-turners.

* ForegoneConclusion: Invoked and lampshaded regarding the nature of the top-secret project that Si Morley is being asked to join. It is obvious from the very [[SpoilerTitle title of the book]], not to mention the blurb and cover art, that time travel is going to be involved somehow. In-universe, Morley himself acknowledges that what all these people in their incredibly realistic historical stage sets had been attempting to do had been obvious to him for some time before either he or anyone else came out and said it. Nonetheless the scenes in which Morley goes from bemusement to awed understanding as to what the Project is, and why an unsuccessful commercial artist like him is being offered a role in it, are real page-turners.

* ForegoneConclusion: Invoked and lampshaded regarding the nature of the Project that Si Morley is being asked to join. It is obvious from the very [[SpoilerTitle title of the book]], not to mention the blurb and cover art, that time travel is going to be involved somehow. Morley himself acknowledges that what all these people in their incredibly realistic historical stage sets had been attempting to do had been obvious to him for some time before either he or anyone else came out and said it. Nonetheless the scenes in which Morley goes from bemusement to awed understanding as to what the Project is, and why an unsuccessful commercial artist like him is being offered a role in it, are real page-turners.

* ForegoneConclusion: Invoked and lampshaded regarding the nature of the Project that Si Morley is being asked to join. It is obvious from the very title of the book, not to mention the blurb, that time travel is going to be involved somehow. Morley himself acknowledges that what all these people in their incredibly realistic historical stage sets had been attempting to do had been obvious to him for some time before either he or anyone else came out and said it. Nonetheless the scenes in which Morley goes from bemusement to awed understanding as to what the Project is, and why an unsuccessful commercial artist like him is being offered a role in it, are real page-turners.

* ForegoneConclusion: Invoked and lampshaded regarding the nature of the Project that Si Morley is being asked to join. It is obvious from the very title of the book, not to mention the blurb, that time travel is going to be involved. Morley himself acknowledges that what all these people in their incredibly realistic historical stage sets had been attempting to do had been obvious to him for some time before either he or anyone else came out and said it. Nonetheless the scenes in which Morley goes from bemusement to awed understanding as to what the Project is, and why an unsuccessful commercial artist like him is being offered a role in it, are real page-turners.

* OneSceneWonder: The cab driver. It reads like a two-page-long AuthorTract, but if it is, it's a ''good'' one.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: It isn't even that relevant to the plot, but [[spoiler:SI GON' SAVE DAT GIRL FROM THE FIRE. DAT' JUST HOW IT IS.]]