Discussing Finn: Time

[LitEditor]

The events in Finn are told out of sequence. How would the novel have been different if it had been told chronologically?

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This thread is particularly suitable for those who have read most or all of Jon Clinch's Finn. If you haven't finished the book, please be aware there may be plot spoilers among the posts.

[jd]

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LitEditor wrote:
The events in Finn are told out of sequence. How would the novel have been different if it had been told chronologically?

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This thread is particularly suitable for those who have read most or all of Jon Clinch's Finn. If you haven't finished the book, please be aware there may be plot spoilers among the posts.

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Just like a dull dry history book in chronilogical order. Many of the events have suspense to them because we see the end result but not the why or beginning right away. - jd

[ELee]

A story told in chronological order must start at the beginning and travel through a great unknown to its conclusion. During this process, the reader's mind goes on a fact-finding mission, focusing on the "what" and "when", gathering and assimilating information as it moves forward. In FINN, by initially juxtaposing the beginning and end of the story, the author defines the entire perimeter in the same way that his character outlines the familiar objects in the white room in an attempt to anchor them and prevent their future intrusion into his conscience. As the edges of the story fold in upon themselves and converge to the center, knowing the characters fate frees the reader's mind to pursue the complexities of "how" and "why".

[jonclinch]

Home for what seems like mere seconds between flights, but I'll pitch in here soon...

[jonclinch]

Interesting read, ELee.

Telling a story where we know the end from the start posed a number of technical challenges. But it sure did let the shape of the book as a whole fit the shape of so many of its constituent elements and themes -- imprisonment, doom foretold, entrapment, etc.