Time is used in all pieces of writing, whether it is recognized or not. Even a piece of writing such as this, includes time. All writing has some sort of time within its context and words. A piece of writing such as the one I am writing now has time; it is in the verbs and tenses, which I am using. The sense of time that I am using is the present. .
Some authors use the present, others write in the past tense, some write in the future. Although it may not be grammatically correct, some authors even use a combination of the tenses in which they use.
Time is often a component that is overlooked by the reader and sometimes even the writer overlooks the component of time. Time is a piece of the setting that is often taken for granted. Some authors forget the importance of this component, while others use it to a great extent and never let slide out of sight. .
Those authors whom use it extensively use it as if it were an element of writing all on its own. They use this piece of writing to create illusions for the reader. Some authors are so proficient at using time, the reader feels as if they are part of the story.
Both E.B. White and E.M. Forster use time as if it were a major element all on its own. In the pieces created by these two established authors, time is on it's own. It is no longer a fragment of the setting.
In E.B. White's essay entitled "Once more to the Lake," we begin to see just how White uses time in his writing. He creates a sense or a strong link to the past by describing great details from the present, which he gradually allows to take him back to his childhood and youth.
While doing this, the author creates an illusion of timelessness. He describes things from the past as if nothing or hardly anything has ever changed. .
His memories include so much vivid detail and such an alive sense of description that they become the reader's memories and the reader feels as if they were there and as if it was they were experiencing the sensation.