Non-Linear Temporal Experience in Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Fiction

Abstract

The goal of my article is to familiarise the reader with the notions of ‘non-linear temporality’ and ‘non-linear temporal experience.’ Based on studies of memory and neurobiology, I would like to highlight that episodic memory is a narrative process, and the past-present-future trichotomy is a bias, which can be overruled in so-called ‘non-neurotypical’ states of mind, such as trauma-induced shock and psychological illness. Edgar Allan Poe’s characters often present symptoms of psychological illnesses undefined in the early/mid-19th century with surprising accuracy, among them displaying common symptoms of NLTE (Non-Linear Temporal Experience). I aim to outline how these experiences are manifest in the particular context of his short fiction.