The Time of Man: A Novel [Paperback]

Elizabeth Madox Roberts (Author), Robert Penn Warren (Introduction), Wade Hall (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813109817 | ISBN-13: 978-0813109817 | Publication Date: February 24, 2000

" Considered her finest work and an American classic, Roberts's novel traces the coming of age of Ellen Chesser, the daughter of a poor itinerant farmer. Against all privations and the forces that would subdue her, Ellen is sustained by a sense of wonder and by an awareness of her own being. Reduced to the bare elements of life, her world becomes a ceremony of daily duties that bind her to the natural world and her family. The Time of Man stands as a beautifully written tribute to the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most authentic and moving depictions of a woman's identity and experience I have ever read.... I felt the same shock of recognition and revelation upon reading The Time of Man that I did when I read Their Eyes Were Watching God." -- Appalachian Journal

"Originally published in 1926, this re-released epic novel of Americana is now considered a classic." -- Kentucky Living

"This is a book that embraces life.... And it is written in a prose at once lucid and arresting, rhythmical, fresh in phrasing and construction, giving always the effect of effortless arrangement." -- New York Times

"Original, powerful, and, without ever verging upon sentimentality, tender." -- Saturday Review of Literature

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (February 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813109817
• ISBN-13: 978-0813109817
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the little known classic, April 26, 2001

By 

Chris Carolei (New Paltz, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Time of Man: A Novel (Paperback)

The little known classic by Elizabeth Madox Roberts, The Time of Man, is a novel that deserves to be read, not just by scholars in the field of twentieth century literature, but by all who love a well crafted, universally moving tale of what it means to be alive in any time.

The novel tells the story of a young woman, Ellen Chesser, as she struggles to survive with her family in the knobs country of Kentucky; her coming of age reflects the universal challenges all humans must face on one level or another, and is captured beautifully in the subtle, poetic prose of Roberts.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to find a golden needle in a haystack, one that could very easily change your life, as great literature often will.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highest marks, February 20, 2001

By 

Dave Fish (New Paltz, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Time of Man: A Novel (Paperback)

Cited as a contemporary of William Faulkner and a major influence on Robert Penn Warren, Roberts is currently one of the most neglected American authors of the 20th century, and of the Southern Renaissance. The Time of Man is a quintessential Modernist novel, intricately structured and passionately written in Roberts' lively style. She renders her landscape with precision and a deep sense of place, and her characters come alive in the numinous Knobs of rural Kentucky. Introductions by Wade Hall and Robert Penn Warren. A must for any student of the Modernist period and a great pleasure to read. A neglected American classic.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mentor for Robert Penn Warren: Elizabeth Madox Roberts, January 7, 2006

By 

T. E. Leonard "A late baby bloomer" (Berea, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Time of Man: A Novel (Paperback)

Ms. Roberts' book is the least pretentious piece of literature I have ever read. We see the world through the eyes of an early twentieth century mountain girl from Eastern Kentucky, where women, due to the nature of the harsh and demanding environment, frequently come to resemble 'buzzards' well before their prime. The following is one of my favorite passages; in this scene the main character, Ellen Chesser, takes heart in her own monotinous existence upon reading an incription on a tombstone of a local brahmin:


"That's Judge Gowan, she whispered, awed by the personality erected by the legend against the stone. "He owned the Gowan farm and the Gowan horses and the Gowan peacocks...across the road from Mr. Al's place...and he left Ms. Anne , his wife, all he had when he died, and people a-goen to law about it big in court. And when he died there was marchen and white plumes on hats and a band a-playen, and his picture is a-hangen up in the courthouse, life size, they say...And when he was a-liven he used to ride up to town in a high buggy with a big shiny horse, a-steppin up on the road and him a sitten big, and always had a plenty to eat and a suit of clothes to wear and a (servant) * to shine his shoes for him of a weekday even. Ben told me. And he was a-willen big money to his wife when he died and always a-sitten judge in court. A big man he was. That's you." Her voice was whispering the words. And then after a long pause she added. "He's Judge Gowan in court, a-sitten big, but I'm better'n he is. I'm a-liven and he's dead. I'm better. I'm Ellen Chesser and I'm a-liven and you Judge James Bartholemew Gowan, but all the same I'm better. I'm a-liven."

* I took licence by replacing a racially offensive word with a more modern acceptable one.

While so much of literature today seems cloaked in superficial materialism and characters only take on significance when engaged in the most outlandish of behaviors, how wonderful it is to see writing simply but profoundly relected through the eyes of a poor Kentucky girl.