A17. Timeline: story time against page time, gaps and flashbacks. Both
Story and structure. One line per book. Open a book for the full answer, charts and cited lines.
| Book | Genre | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Treasure Island | Thriller and adventure | Story spans roughly three months (voyage plus island time). Page time compresses the voyage (Ch 7 to 10 summary) but expands island action (Ch 13 to 34 detailed). Flashbacks appear in Chapter 15 (Ben Gunn's three years … |
| The Thirty-Nine Steps | Thriller and adventure | Story spans June 1 to June 15 (fifteen days). The book is 41,218 words covering this period with no flashbacks. Chapters 1 to 2 cover days 1 to 2, Chapters 3 to 7 cover days 3 to 13, Chapters 8 to 10 cover days 13 to 15. |
| The Prisoner of Zenda | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans roughly two weeks (coronation to rescue). Page time is linear with no flashbacks. Chapter 1 is set weeks before the main action. Chapters 2 to 22 cover the core events in chronological order, with … |
| Around the World in Eighty Days | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans eighty days (October 2 to December 21). Page time is 63,208 words across 37 chapters, averaging 1,708 words per chapter. No flashbacks occur; the narrative is strictly chronological. The key gap is … |
| King Solomon's Mines | Thriller and adventure | Story spans roughly four months: Chapters 1 to 3 (days in Durban and early journey), Chapters 4 to 6 (weeks crossing desert), Chapters 7 to 14 (weeks in Kukuanaland), Chapters 15 to 18 (days in treasure quest), Chapters 19 to 20 … |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Crime and mystery | Story spans roughly three weeks: Ch1 to 5 in London (one week), Ch6 to 14 in Devon (two weeks). Ch2 contains flashback to old manuscript. Ch10 contains diary entries. Ch15 is retrospective explanation. Minimal time gaps; … |
| A Study in Scarlet | Crime and mystery | Story spans roughly 30 years (Utah chapters 8 to 12 are flashback). London investigation (Ch 1 to 7) takes days. Flashback to Utah (Ch 8 to 12) covers 1860 to 1880. Return to London (Ch 13 to 14) takes hours. Page time compresses … |
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Crime and mystery | Story time varies by case: Chapter 1 spans weeks, Chapter 2 spans days, Chapter 5 spans months (the curse's history), Chapter 8 spans one night of confrontation. Page time is consistent at roughly 8,000 to 9,000 words … |
| The Moonstone | Crime and mystery | Story time spans from 1799 (Seringapatam, Chapters 1 to 3) to 1848 (birthday theft, Chapters 5 to 27) to 1849 (investigation and resolution, Chapters 28 to 56). Page time compresses the theft investigation into intense … |
| The Woman in White | Crime and mystery | Story spans roughly eighteen months from July (c1) through the following winter (c19, marriage) to spring (c45, proposal) to summer (c52, son born). Page time compresses heavily: chapters 1 to 14 cover two weeks; … |
| Pride and Prejudice | Romance | Story spans roughly one year from autumn assembly (Chapter 3) to summer proposal (Chapter 58). Page time compresses winter courtship (Chapters 6 to 12) and expands spring crisis (Chapters 46 to 52). Flashbacks appear in … |
| Persuasion | Romance | Story time spans approximately eight years from Anne's broken engagement to her marriage. Page time covers roughly one year from the financial crisis through the Bath season. Major flashback in Ch 4 reveals the … |
| Emma | Romance | Story spans roughly one year from autumn to autumn. Chapter 2 provides backstory of Mr. Weston's first marriage and Frank's childhood. Chapter 20 summarises Jane Fairfax's orphaning and education. Main action moves … |
| Jane Eyre | Romance | Story time spans roughly 15 years (Jane age 10 to 25). Page time is compressed: Chapters 1 to 10 cover 8 years but occupy early pages. Chapters 11 to 27 cover 2 years in middle section. Chapters 28 to 38 cover 3 years in … |
| Dracula | Gothic and horror | Story time spans roughly three months (May to early November). Page time is distributed unevenly: Chapters 1 to 4 cover Jonathan's week at the castle in detail; Chapters 5 to 12 compress weeks of Lucy's illness; Chapters … |
| Frankenstein | Gothic and horror | Story time spans roughly three years (Victor's university years through pursuit). Page time compresses: Walton's letters (Ch 1 to 4) cover weeks; Victor's narrative (Ch 5 to 27) covers years but is told in weeks aboard … |
| Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde | Gothic and horror | Story spans roughly two months from Enfield's tale to Jekyll's final confession. Chapter 10 includes a flashback to Jekyll's childhood and scientific discovery. No significant gaps; events follow chronologically with … |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Gothic and horror | Story spans roughly 18 years (Sibyl's death to James Vane's return). Chapter 11 contains a major flashback summarising years of Dorian's aesthetic pursuits. Most chapters occur in real time with dialogue and scene. … |
| Wuthering Heights | Gothic and horror | Story time spans 1770 (Heathcliff's arrival) to 1802 (Heathcliff's death). Present time is 1801 to 1802 (Lockwood's visits). Nelly's narrative covers 1771 to 1801 in flashback. Major gaps: Heathcliff's three-year absence … |
| The Turn of the Screw | Gothic and horror | Story spans roughly two months from June arrival to late August. Chapter 13 summarises a month of tension. Flashbacks appear in dialogue about the previous governess and Quint's past. Page time compresses the final … |
| The Time Machine | Science fiction | Story time spans roughly 800,000 years (Chapters 4 to 14) compressed into narrative time of one dinner party (Chapters 1 to 3, 16). The Time Traveller lives eight days in the future (Chapter 3). No flashbacks; one major … |
| The War of the Worlds | Science fiction | Story spans approximately one week (Friday to following Friday). Narrative time compresses in Chapters 1 to 8 (days), accelerates through invasion (Chapters 9 to 17, days), then expands in hiding (Chapters 18 to 21, days), … |
| The Invisible Man | Science fiction | Story spans roughly one month from Griffin's arrival in winter through his death. Chapters 1 to 7 cover days in Iping. Chapters 8 to 16 cover days of pursuit. Chapters 17 to 23 are Griffin's extended flashback to London … |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans one afternoon (Alice falls down the hole and wakes on the riverbank). Page time is 26,665 words across 12 chapters. No flashbacks occur except the Mouse's hint at his past in Chapters 2 to 3. |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | Fantasy and children's | Story time: one continuous journey from cyclone to return, roughly 4 to 6 weeks. Page time: 24 chapters, ~1,640 words each. No flashbacks except Scarecrow's origin (Ch 4) and Winged Monkeys' history (Ch 14). Gaps: none; … |
| The Secret Garden | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans roughly one year (spring to spring, ch 1 to ch 27). Page time is distributed unevenly: early chapters move quickly through Mary's arrival (ch 1 to 3 cover weeks in ~30 pages), middle chapters slow to … |
| The Wind in the Willows | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans roughly one year from spring (chapter 1) through winter (chapters 3 to 4) to autumn (chapter 9) and back. Toad's imprisonment lasts twenty years in sentence but only months in actual time. No major … |
| Great Expectations | Literary | Story time spans roughly 23 years (Pip's childhood to age 36). Page time compresses early chapters (1 to 7 cover years) and expands later chapters (39 to 59 cover months intensely). Major flashbacks include Chapter 22 … |
| A Christmas Carol | Literary | Story spans one night (Staves I-IV) plus Christmas morning (Stave V). Flashbacks in Stave II show Scrooge's youth and early adulthood. Visions in Staves III-IV show present and possible future. Page time compresses … |
| The Great Gatsby | Literary | Story spans roughly three months (May to September). Flashbacks appear in Chapter 4 (Gatsby's rise through Cody) and Chapter 8 (his past with Daisy). Page time compresses action; most chapters cover single days or … |
| Heart of Darkness | Literary | The story spans months of travel upriver and weeks at the station, compressed into three chapters. Chapter 1 is frame present time on the Nellie. Chapters 2 and 3 are Marlow's recollection of past events. The final … |
| Kidnapped | Thriller and adventure | Story spans June 1751 to later that year, roughly six months. Narrative is linear with no flashbacks. Chapter 28 contains exposition about David's father's death (backstory). Pacing compresses the Highlands flight … |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans 1815 to 1838 (23 years). Page time compresses: Chapters 1 to 7 cover days; 8 to 21 cover 14 years in prison (summarised); 22 to 25 cover months at sea; 26 to 50 cover months in Paris; 51 to 117 cover weeks of … |
| The Three Musketeers | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans roughly six months from D'Artagnan's arrival to his commission. Page time is linear with no major flashbacks except Athos's drunken confession (Chapter 27) and Milady's false story to Felton (Chapter … |
| The Riddle of the Sands | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans roughly six weeks from late summer to autumn. Chapter 4 includes a flashback to Davies's solo voyage. Chapter 25 compresses Carruthers's journey to Amsterdam and back into a brief passage. Chapter 27 … |
| The Scarlet Pimpernel | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans roughly three weeks from Paris (September 1792) through the ball in London to the escape from France. Page time is distributed unevenly: Chapters 1 to 7 cover several days in detail; Chapters 8 to 15 … |
| The Lost World | Thriller and adventure | Story time spans roughly four months: rejection (ch 1), expedition assembly (ch 2 to 7), plateau exploration (ch 8 to 15), return and presentation (ch 16). Page time is linear with no major flashbacks. Chapter 7 includes a … |
| Captain Blood | Thriller and adventure | Story spans roughly 1688 to 1690 (arrest through governorship). Chapter 13 contains a flashback summary by Pitt covering Blood's transformation into pirate. Most chapters follow chronological order. No significant gaps … |
| Lady Audley's Secret | Crime and mystery | Story spans roughly three years: Lucy's marriage (Year 0), George's return from Australia (Year 1), his disappearance (Year 1), Robert's investigation (Year 1 to 2), Lady Audley's confinement (Year 2), George's return … |
| The Murders in the Rue Morgue | Crime and mystery | Story time spans roughly one week from the murders to the sailor's confession. Page time is compressed: Section 1 is summary, Sections 2 to 5 cover events in near real time. No significant flashbacks except the sailor's … |
| The Innocence of Father Brown | Crime and mystery | Story time spans weeks across 26 independent cases. Page time is linear. Flashbacks occur in Chapters 9 (Flying Stars theft), 16 (Harris's confession letter), 24 (St. Clare's battle). No significant gaps. |
| The Big Bow Mystery | Crime and mystery | Story time spans roughly three weeks from early December murder to execution. Page time compresses investigation (Ch 1 to 7) into dense chapters, expands arrest and trial (Ch 8 to 10) into longer sequences, and climaxes in … |
| The Leavenworth Case | Crime and mystery | Story time spans roughly two months from murder to confession. Page time compresses the inquest (Chapters 2 to 13) into intense days, expands the investigation (Chapters 14 to 35) over weeks, and accelerates the climax … |
| The Red Thumb Mark | Crime and mystery | Story time spans roughly three weeks from Reuben's arrest to acquittal and love confession. Page time is 70,853 words. No major flashbacks; one gap between Chapter 14 (morning of trial) and Chapter 15 (trial begins). … |
| The Amateur Cracksman | Crime and mystery | Story time spans roughly one year from the inciting incident in chapter 1 through the final sea voyage in chapter 17. Chapters 8 to 9 flashback to Raffles's Australian crime years earlier. Chapter 15 summarizes months … |
| The Secret Agent | Crime and mystery | Story time spans roughly one month (Vladimir's deadline in Chapter 2) to several weeks after. Chapter 8 shows a flashback to the mother's departure. Chapter 13 occurs weeks later. Page time is linear; no major time … |
| Sense and Sensibility | Romance | Story time spans roughly one year from Mr. Dashwood's death through the marriages. Page time is distributed unevenly: Chapters 1 to 8 cover months quickly; Chapters 9 to 15 slow to weeks as Marianne's attachment develops; … |
| North and South | Romance | Story spans roughly one year (Helstone spring to Milton winter to next spring). Flashback to Frederick's mutiny in Chapter 14. Time jumps between chapters 6 to 7 (move to Milton), 41 to 42 (Mr. Hale's death), 48 to 49 … |
| Far from the Madding Crowd | Romance | Story spans roughly one year from December (Chapter 2) through the following December (Chapter 59). Chapter 5 summarises Gabriel's loss over weeks. Chapter 33 summarises two weeks of Bathsheba's absence. Chapter 49 … |
| The Enchanted April | Romance | Story time: one month (April) at San Salvatore. Page time: 79,083 words across 22 chapters. Chapters 1 to 4 cover roughly two weeks of preparation (summary pacing). Chapters 5 to 22 cover the month of April in detail … |
| The Sheik | Romance | Story spans roughly four months (one month captivity in Ch 4, escape in Ch 5, three months recovery in Ch 10). Chapter 9 contains a flashback to Ahmed's childhood. The book compresses time in early chapters and … |
| Daddy Long Legs | Romance | Story time spans roughly four years (college and beyond). Page time is compressed through epistolary form. Chapters 1 to 3 cover first year, Chapters 4 to 6 cover summer and second year, Chapters 7 to 9 cover third year, … |
| Carmilla | Gothic and horror | Story time spans several months from Carmilla's arrival to her destruction. Page time is compressed; chapters 11 to 13 contain the General's extended flashback narration covering weeks of his experience. Chapter 1 is a … |
| The Castle of Otranto | Gothic and horror | Story time spans roughly three days (Conrad's wedding to Manfred's abdication). Page time is 34,867 words. No significant gaps or flashbacks. Jerome's backstory (Theodore's birth) is revealed in dialogue in Chapter … |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Gothic and horror | Story spans roughly two months from the gala (Chapter 1) through Christine's captivity and rescue (Chapters 8 to 26). Flashbacks occur in Chapter 5 (Raoul's childhood) and Chapter 21 (Persian's past with Erik in … |
| The Great God Pan | Gothic and horror | Story spans from Mary's operation (1865 implied) through Helen's death (July 1888). Narrative time is roughly linear with flashbacks in Chapter 2 (Helen V.'s history) and Chapter 8 (Raymond's confession). Most action … |
| The Yellow Wallpaper | Gothic and horror | Story time spans several weeks of confinement. Page time is compressed: Section 1 covers early observations, Section 2 covers deepening obsession, Section 3 covers the final breakdown. No flashbacks; one brief … |
| The Call of Cthulhu | Gothic and horror | Story spans 1925 to 1928 (three years). Page time compresses this into four sections. Major flashback: Legrasse's 1907 Louisiana raid (Section 2). Johansen's 1925 voyage is recounted in Section 4. Gaps exist between … |
| The Island of Doctor Moreau | Science fiction | Story time spans roughly one year (eight days at sea, months on island, ten months watching reversion, rescue). Page time compresses early chapters (shipwreck) and expands middle chapters (island discovery). Chapter … |
| Journey to the Centre of the Earth | Science fiction | Story time spans roughly six months (May to November): preparation (May), Iceland journey (June), descent and sea voyage (July, September), eruption and escape (October), return (November). Page time compresses early … |
| A Princess of Mars | Science fiction | Story time spans roughly twelve years: ten years in Arizona cave (Ch 1 to 2), days to weeks on Mars (Ch 3 to 26), nine years of marriage (Ch 27), ten years back on Earth (Ch 28). Page time compresses the Mars years into 28 … |
| Herland | Science fiction | Story time spans roughly one year from discovery to departure. Page time is 53,326 words across 12 chapters. Chapter 5 contains a large flashback explaining two thousand years of Herland history. Chapters 9 and 10 … |
| Flatland | Science fiction | Story time spans from the last day of 1999 through seven years of imprisonment. Page time compresses chapters 1 to 12 (timeless exposition), expands chapters 13 to 25 (intense experience). Flashbacks appear in chapters … |
| Erewhon | Science fiction | Story time spans roughly one year: arrival in Erewhon, months of integration, escape, sea journey, return to England. Page time is linear with no flashbacks except the embedded documents (Chapters 19, 23 to 27) which … |
| The Last Man | Science fiction | Story spans roughly 2090 to 2100 CE, covering ten years. Chapters 1 to 3 use flashback to cover Lionel's childhood and Vienna years. Chapters 4 to 6 compress five years into summary. Chapters 7 to 13 cover one year in detail. … |
| Through the Looking Glass | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans one day (Alice's journey from pawn to queen and back to waking). Page time is distributed across 10 chapters with no flashbacks. The narrative moves forward chronologically with no gaps, though dream … |
| A Little Princess | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans approximately two years from Sara's arrival to her restoration. Page time is distributed unevenly: Chapters 1 to 6 cover weeks in detail, Chapter 7 is a single day, Chapters 8 to 16 cover months in summary … |
| The Jungle Book | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans roughly 15 years (Mowgli's growth from infant to young man in chapters 1 to 8). Kotick's quest takes five seasons (chapters 9 to 11). Rikki-tikki's battle is a few days (chapters 12 to 13). Toomai's rise … |
| Five Children and It | Fantasy and children's | The story spans roughly ten days (one wish per day). Story time and page time align closely with no significant gaps or flashbacks. Each chapter covers one day from morning wish to sunset reset. |
| The Railway Children | Fantasy and children's | Story spans roughly six months from spring to autumn. No major flashbacks. Chapter 1 covers the family's move; Chapters 2 to 9 cover summer adventures; Chapters 10 to 14 cover autumn crisis and resolution. Page time … |
| The Princess and the Goblin | Fantasy and children's | Story spans one year from spring to spring (Chapter 17 notes spring arrival). Most chapters cover one day or night. Flashbacks are minimal. Chapter 1 provides goblin backstory. No significant time gaps except between … |
| Peter and Wendy | Fantasy and children's | Story spans roughly one week of adventure in Neverland (Chapters 3 to 15) against the Darlings' single night at a dinner party (Chapter 2). Chapter 17 compresses years into summary. No flashbacks; exposition delivered … |
| The Worm Ouroboros | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans exactly four years (22 April 399 to 22 April 403). Page time compresses the first year into Sections 1 to 27, then expands the final three years across Sections 28 to 56. Major gaps: four months in … |
| Anne of Green Gables | Fantasy and children's | Story time spans approximately three years (Anne's arrival at age 11 to age 16 at Queen's). Page time is distributed unevenly: early chapters (1 to 10) cover weeks in detail, middle chapters (11 to 28) cover a school year, … |
| Black Beauty | Fantasy and children's | Story spans roughly 15 years from Beauty's birth to final home. Page time compresses early years (ch 1 to 3 cover years 1 to 3), expands Birtwick period (ch 4 to 21 cover 3 years in detail), compresses decline (ch 22 to 47 cover … |
| Middlemarch | Literary | Story spans roughly one year from Dorothea's engagement (spring) through winter and into the following spring. Flashbacks include Lydgate's Paris past (ch 16) and Bulstrode's earlier crimes (ch 62). The novel … |
| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Literary | Story spans roughly two years (May to the following winter). Narrative time is compressed in early chapters (Chapters 1 to 11 cover weeks), expands during Talbothays (Chapters 17 to 32 cover months), then accelerates again … |
| Mrs Dalloway | Literary | The story spans a single day from morning (Section 1) to evening (Section 21). Flashbacks are woven throughout: Clarissa recalls her youth with Sally and Peter (Sections 1, 4, 7); Peter recalls Bourton (Section 7); … |
| To the Lighthouse | Literary | Story time spans roughly twelve years (one summer, ten years of absence, return). Page time is 69,611 words. Chapters 1 to 17 cover one day (approximately 30,000 words). Chapters 18 to 25 compress ten years into 8,000 … |
| Anna Karenina | Literary | Story time spans approximately two years (spring to spring). Page time is distributed unevenly: Chapters 1 to 34 cover one week intensely; Chapters 35 to 101 cover several months with summary passages; Chapters 102 to 144 … |
| Crime and Punishment | Literary | Story spans roughly two months from July (Chapter 1) to September (Chapter 14, Marmeladov's death), then nine months to trial (Chapter 40). Chapter 40 summarises the trial and his mother's death. No major flashbacks; … |
| Madame Bovary | Literary | Story spans roughly five years (Charles's schooling through Emma's death). Flashback in Chapter 6 covers Emma's childhood and convent education. Chapter 1 opens in medias res at school. Most chapters follow … |
| The Age of Innocence | Literary | Story spans roughly 30 years (Chapters 1 to 33 cover one year; Chapter 34 jumps 30 years forward). Page time compresses the year of courtship and marriage into 102,960 words. No major flashbacks; backstory of Ellen's … |
| Silas Marner | Literary | Story spans 16 years (Ch 1 sets 15 years before, Ch 12 adds 1 more year, Ch 16 jumps 16 years forward). Major flashback: Ch 1 recounts Silas's past in Lantern Yard. Ch 21 revisits Lantern Yard. Page time compresses … |
| Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Literary | Story spans roughly three months (spring to autumn). Chapters 1 to 7 cover weeks of school and Pap's return. Chapters 8 to 20 cover days on the river. Chapters 21 to 31 cover weeks of con schemes. Chapters 32 to 44 cover final … |
| Hamlet | Plays | Story spans roughly two months (from ghost's first appearance to duel). Play time is compressed; Scenes 1 to 5 occur over one night and day. Scenes 6 to 11 span days. Scenes 12 to 18 cover Hamlet's voyage and return (weeks … |
| Macbeth | Plays | Story time spans roughly one year from battle to Macbeth's death. Page time is 27 scenes across five acts. No flashbacks; exposition is delivered through reports (scene 2, battle news) and letters (scene 5). Time … |
| Romeo and Juliet | Plays | Story time spans roughly three days: day one includes the feast and secret marriage (chapters 5 to 12); day two includes the street fight and banishment (chapters 13 to 17); day three includes the potion, false death, and … |
| Othello | Plays | Story time spans roughly one week from Venice to Cyprus to murder. Page time (27,562 words) compresses this into five acts. Flashbacks appear in scene 3 when Othello recalls his courtship, and in scene 8 when the … |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Plays | Story spans one night in the wood (scenes 3 to 7) plus one day in Athens (scenes 1 to 2, 8 to 9). The night is the main action. No flashbacks shown. Page time compresses the night's chaos into five scenes. |
| Twelfth Night | Plays | Key arc moments: Scene 2 (Viola adopts disguise, accepts her fate). Scene 5 (Olivia falls for Cesario, complicating Viola's plan). Scene 10 (Malvolio's delusion mirrors Viola's own hidden love). Scene 15 (mistaken … |
| Doctor Faustus | Plays | Story time spans twenty-four years from pact to damnation, but the play shows only the final hours. Page time is roughly 12,468 words across two dramatic sections, compressing the arc into a single night. |
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Plays | Story time spans roughly three days: Act I (London, one afternoon), Act II (country house, next day), Act III (country house, same day). No flashbacks. Exposition of Jack's past (found in hand-bag) is delivered … |
| A Doll's House | Plays | Act I spans one afternoon and evening. Act II spans the next day, ending after dinner. Act III spans the same night into early morning. Flashback: Nora reveals she forged her father's signature and borrowed money … |
| Hedda Gabler | Plays | Story spans roughly one week in Acts One through Four. Flashbacks reveal Hedda and Lovborg's past intimacy and her threat to shoot him. Aunt Rina's death occurs offstage between Acts Three and Four. No significant gaps. |
| Pygmalion | Plays | Story spans roughly three months from rainstorm to resolution. Act I occurs in one evening. Act II jumps forward to training period. Act III occurs at a garden party weeks later. Act IV occurs the same night as Act … |
| The School for Scandal | Plays | Story time spans roughly one week in London. Sir Oliver arrives (chapter 2), tests occur over two days (chapters 7 to 12), and resolution happens the next day (chapter 13). No significant flashbacks; backstory of Sir … |
Weekly email: coming soon
One short email a week on new AI tools for authors. Sign up opens soon.