New Books Network Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm, "Alle Thyng Hath Tyme: Time and Medieval Life" (Reaktion, 2023)
Dec 30, 2025
Gillian Adler, an Associate Professor of Literature at Sarah Lawrence College, joins to discuss her book on medieval concepts of time. She explores how medieval people experienced time not just linearly but in various overlapping systems. Adler connects these insights to contemporary reflections on time during the COVID lockdown. The discussion includes the impact of mechanical clocks on urban labor, theological views on idleness, and the portrayal of time in medieval literature. She suggests reclaiming qualitative and communal rhythms as a remedy for modern time monetization.
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Layered Temporal Systems
- Medieval people navigated multiple overlapping time systems: natural, liturgical, and emerging mechanical clock time.
- This multiplicity allowed flexible shifting between cyclical and linear temporalities rather than a single standardized rhythm.
Prioritize Qualitative Time
- Reclaim subjective, qualitative time alongside clock time to reduce temporal exhaustion.
- Prioritize feelings, creative flow, and communal rhythms over ruthless efficiency when possible.
Liturgical And Cosmic Linkages
- Liturgical and natural rhythms tied daily life to eternity and cosmic cycles, not only schedules.
- Calendar feasts and labors-of-the-month imagery linked human tasks to heavenly motions.