Time and Space
In a narrative about time-travel, the theories and laws of time and space have to be part of the plot line. In the novel, the laws of continuum are explored as the characters jump from one period of time and space to another. They have to abide by the laws for instance caution against causing irreparable butterfly/ripple effects in their future. They are not allowed to be near crucial moments in history as their interference has a higher chance of changing the future. Therefore to counter such occurrence a historian jumps to the correct time but at a different location or rather the wrong time at the correct location of the event. The space-time continuum in the narrative is demonstrated as a mechanism that also self-corrects in case minor changes threatens the outcome. Thus, the rule against bringing crucial objects from the past into the future is also secured by laws placed in the time travel mechanism.
Obsession
The time-traveling endeavors in the narrative are as a result of Lady Schrapnell, a wealthy and eccentric neo-aristocratic woman, commissioning the restoration of Coventry Cathedral. She is illustrated as an unsympathetic character fixated on preserving every detail of the structure to the last object. Thus, the pursuit of retrieving the Bishop’s Bird Stump, a missing piece of the Cathedral, becomes the source of conflict in the plot. Since the last recorded existence of the object is before the Nazi Blitz during the Second World War, Mrs. Schrapnell recruits historians from Oxford to retrieve it. In the process, multiple travels into the past are made by various historians to find the location of the bird stump in order for the restoration of the cathedral. Consequently, more resources are offered by Lady Schrapnell to ensure the mission is successful even pushing the time-travelers beyond their physical limits.
Culture Shock
The historians involved in Mrs. Schrapnell’s time-travel excursions are well-versed with the history of past social environments. However, immersion into these past societies physically is an exertion that is new to them, and they have to learn with more expeditions. The protagonist Ned is from a mid-21st century society and has to equip himself with the appropriate social skills of the Victorian Era before travel. Even though the historians are well-acquainted with the history and social skills they still experience culture shock with each travel. Due to ripple effects caused by their activities in the past, they jump to random periods and hence less experienced in navigating.
Furthermore, they experience time-lag which brings forth disorientation and confusion hence worsens the adjustment to a different time. The protagonist also makes observations regarding the social environment of the Victorian era that elucidates on how humans are a product of their environment. In that, while the human experience is universal and shared even through time certain human behaviors are attached to their era.
