Time that withers you will wither me. We will fall like ripe fruit and roll down the grass together. Dear friend let me lie beside you watching the clouds until the earth covers us and we are gone. (Winterson, 90)
Winterson’s Written in the Body complicates normative structures of time and space in multiple ways particularly in the narration and language of the novel. At this point in the novel, the narrator and Louise have reached a point in their relationship where they’ve recognized the serious repercussions of their emotions and actions. They are both consumed by their love for one another despite the uncertainty of their future, which constructs a different understanding of the passing and measurement of time. The narrator is content with the inevitable decay of their relationship with Louise because they are aware that their time with her cannot be compared to normative structures of time. Their relationship is “ripe,” signifying its impending decomposition while also highlighting the fact that their relationship is in its prime. The narrator continuously fixates over the ways that time affects their relationships, especially with Louise because they exist outside of the parameters of what is deemed as acceptable in society. The narrator states, “time that withers you will wither me,” emphasizing how the physical and emotional aspects of their relationship are connected and influenced by time. Halberstam’s In a Queer Time and Place illustrates the ways in which queer time or non-heteronormative time operates in a world where the constant “diminishing future creates a new emphasis on the here, present, and now and while the threat of no future hovers overhead…the urgency of being also expands the potential of the moment.” (2) The constraints of time have strengthened and intensified their relationship and when the “earth covers [the narrator and Louise] and [they] are gone,” they will still be together as time extends past what is constructed around them.
This is a very interesting post! In marriage vows, it is promised that the couple will love each other “till death do us part.” This creates an obvious date of termination; love will last as long as life does. However, the love has an extended amount of time to continue and develop, as the two will love together as they grow old together. The narrator and Louise share a love that exists outside of this normative temporality. It becomes obvious that they do not have the option to grow old together. Emphasizing the “here and now” element of their love may be the true cause of the narrator’s intensity when it comes to their love for Louise. Death will soon part them, so they can’t develop and love in a normative temporality. Thanks for sharing!
I admire your deconstruction of the two sentences from Winterson. Its as though the narrator is making their statement an undercover cliché. The song lyric you posted as your title of the blog post, reinserts the idea that time can be endless but in the terms of Written on the Body, we will never know if time for Louise and the narrator is infinite or not. The excerpt you chose from Halberstam I kept re-reading because it so clearly deconstructs time. Your post deconstructs the fundamental basis of every heterosexual romance movie, takes away time and make it into queer time.
Love the allusion to Cyndi Lauper btw. I too thought that this passage was extremely moving. The description and imagery of ripe fruit falling and withering away is so beautiful and metaphoric, however it’s kind of questionable to me. Part of me thinks that Winterson is almost following along the path of heteronormative time instead of actually dancing around it like she normally does. The idea that the narrator and Louise fall and roll down a hill together could be an interesting metaphor for spending their lives together. But it also could be symbolic of the idea that their relationship will ultimately fail. The narrator then wants to lay beside her watching the clouds until they ultimately wither away. Is this a reflection of growing old and dying together? Or is it that they will be consumed by this normative view of time? This passage ultimately is a little confusing to me, but we do know that time is a very strong force. Time that withers Louise will also wither the narrator. Whether or not time will wither them at the same rate is up to debate.
This is a strange contradiction that works well in concert with the narrative of Written on the Body. The narrator’s view of time seems to be both as temporary and eternal. I initially debated whether this is intended to be a contradiction or a recursive relation. However, you seem to lend yourself to a synthesis of the considering these ideas to both be contained be the concept of queer time. It certainly works with the idea of the narrator and Louise maintaining their own contradictions.
I found your analysis of this post to be extremely interesting and thought provoking. To me, this was one of the most confusing passages of the book because it seemed that Winterson was straying from the ambiguous, non-normative perspective she typically writes from. In this passage, time makes sense to me. Two individuals that love each other will do so romantically until they die. Your commentary on the contrast between ripe love and quick death made me view this passage from a fresh perspective and I really admired your take on this heteronormative paradox.