Time References

I have sorted out all the time references I have found in this hypertext by chapters:

1.      In the main room:

the author is always talking in a past tense as for exaple the verbs: was, where once stood, there was. The author is just talking about the menu of the wedding. verbs in past as for example: carried, made, set the food, was covered, I looked around, There was, I thought about. He describes how the cake is (On the top layer, surrounded by pink rosebuds,was a small ceramic sculpture of Dorothy and Sid).

2.      The front deck:

This is not a common and glamorous wedding. Because of the description of the wedding dress: Not a wedding gown but a beautiful white cotton dress, with white embroidered sleeves and a V neck bordered with white embroidered roses. And the description of her hair: Her long grey hair was pulled back from her face.Clipped in her hair were several pink roses. Here we have an excellent description of the author: Against the white walls of the house and the open windows through which the ocean was visible,she looked incredibly beautiful.

now came the sound, There were, was lingering, the sound was, stopped talking, I walked to the door following the music, sat on the edge of the deck with my feet in the sand looking at the Pacific ocean while the band played on, Through the door came, They began to dance, were dancing  I sat down, I sipped champagne and ate, On the beach I could see Jeff and the boys, The night before I had been up late finishing a story about a Golf course in Palo Alto
where I had spent several afternoons listening to conversations …

3.      A side deck:

A small deck jutted out, where the band was playing, you weren't coming, It was a surprise," Holly said, As she spoke, came through the door and joined us, You found each other!, They surprised us. Did they tell you? We got up this morning, We had just sat down by the pool, with coffee and croissants for breakfast when they all came in together!,
She turned to me: "I have always particularly loved my nieces and nephews. It was so upsetting when my brother..."  "Behaved so badly." There was an edge to Harle's voice.

"Jenny, we meet at weddings," said Holly's sister,
a woman, probably in her early fifties with a comfortable New England face, strong yet kind.
Her name, I remembered, is Faithe.
I had been about ten when we went to her wedding.

"I remember how uncomfortable I was in the white dress," Faithe said.
I came of age in the sixties.
Never planned to get married, and there I was back home,
the minister's words reverberating in my mind,
all those people in formal dress - congratulating us.
I had a moment of panic, and I looked down the hill towards the river.
There was a girl in a pink dress summersaulting down the hill
the way I used to do when I was her age.
You were having so much fun.
No one saw but me, and suddenly I felt fine. As if I was in the right place.

Do you remember?"

In this part of the hypertext, we can see that two people are talking in a past tense, remeber the past and at the end of the conversation we can notice a present question: “Do you remember?"

 We can see through all this part, that there is a conversation between people in past tense mixing with some present questions as for example: "What are you      working on, Aunt Dorothy?"

4.      The beach (the house is near the ocean):

I left my shoes and suddenly I felt like being, I passed two women sitting side by side, stetched out in the sand,each drinking red wine,

watching the waves roll in and out, called my name, I stopped although I didn't recognize either of them.

Tiara, I'd like to talk with you
about collaborating on a computer-mediated film I'm working on," Juno said.
"The imagery in your new work.
It would work very well with the concept I'm developing.
I've envisioned the actors emerging from and receding into
a painted background.
Your work, it's just what I'm looking for."

"That sounds great!" Tiara responded. Come by my studio next week,
and I'll show you what I'm working on."

Here we can see a conversation in a present or present perfect which is happening now.

5.      A place where art is displayed  (The gallery):

"The gallery reflects our marriage," Sid said. This is a present sentence but by using an indirect speech.

But we can notice the past tense again, for example: were standing, were interspersed, had collected.

6.      The main room again:

In the living room, Dorothy and Sid stood beside the cake,
each holding a glass of champagne.
Most of the guests also held champagne glasses.
Sid was speaking.

Past tense at the beginning of this part but we can see present tense as well here:

"I am very happy that Dorothy and I are together.
I look around the room and see artists of all kinds,
from painters to net artists;
I see arts administrators, curators, musicians, writers,
even critics.

"I want to celebrate not only that Dorothy and I are together after so many years
but also that we are all here together."

[Timeline] [Conclusion] [Time References] [About Judy] [E-Mails] [Second Paper][Introduction]

     Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Beatriz Alfonso Coxias                                                                                           bealco@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de València Press