Mortality and the Passage of Time

Where it surfaces

• To Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson, Bart.

  The lament over the fate of the ships and the end of the voyage reflects on loss and the passage of time.

• The Oise in Flood

  The narrator reflects on death as a 'wholesale filcher' and views the exhilarating river journey as a victory over mortality, living 'three to the minute.'

• Down the Oise: To Moy

  The narrator reflects on the impossibility of returning to the same moment, comparing life to the ever-changing river.

• Noyon Cathedral

  The narrator reflects on the aged congregation and the 'Miserere' as a meditation on life's tragedies and the passage of time.

• Down the Oise: Church Interiors

  The old devotee's mechanical piety and physical decay prompt reflections on aging, death, and the emptiness of life without genuine faith.

• Edinburgh

  The chapter meditates on the layers of history and the decay of old structures, highlighting the transient nature of human endeavors.

• Introductory

  The author reflects on the delicate dying early in Edinburgh's harsh climate, and the city's layered history where 'all these things of clay are mingled with the dust.'

• II: Old Town—The Lands

  The collapse of the tenement in the High Street is a central event, described with terror and reality, exposing the lives of thirty families and serving as a memento mori for the city.

• The Parliament Close

  The chapter reflects on vanished buildings, buried reformers, and the grim remnants of criminal cases, emphasizing the transience of life and institutions.

• Legends

  The chapter dwells on death, plague, executions, and the haunting presence of historical figures, emphasizing the grim legacy of the past.

• Greyfriars

  The chapter is a meditation on death, graveyard monuments, and the fleeting nature of life, with vivid descriptions of tombs and the contrast between the living and the dead.

• New Town—Town and Country

  Stevenson muses on the slow changes of the city, the persistence of old hamlets, and the memories of childhood that blend past and present.

• VIII: The Calton Hill

  Reflections on forgotten poets, shipwrecks, and the transient nature of fame underscore the theme of mortality.

• Winter and New Year

  The chapter reflects on the cycle of seasons and the passage of another year, with New Year's as a threshold of calamity and hope.

• The Monks

  The monks' life is of uncertain tenure, death is a frequent visitor, and the joy-bells ring at a monk's death as for a marriage, emphasizing the passage from life to heaven.

• The Boarders

  The monastery is described as a 'still country bordering on the grave,' and the commandant's transition from soldier to novice underscores the passage of time and approach of death.

• The Country of the Camisards

  The chapter contrasts the peaceful present with the violent past of the Camisard wars, reflecting on how history and human suffering are absorbed into the landscape.

• Across the Lozère

  Reflections on the Camisard rebellion and the bygone heroism of a hundred and eighty years ago.

• Pont de Montvert

  The violent deaths of Du Chayla and Séguier, along with the narrator's reflections on the past, highlight the themes of mortality and the enduring impact of historical events.

• The Heart of the Country

  The old shepherd near the grave, the ruins of war, and the meditation on love and hope beyond death highlight this theme.

• The Last Day

  The chapter reflects on the violent past of the region, the death of Du Chayla, and the quiet present, with the narrator's own journey nearing its end.

• The Desert of Wyoming

  The boy's letter recounts the death of his brother Tom and the constant threat of death during the journey.

• The Old and New Pacific Capitals

  Reflects on the passing of the old Californian era and the inevitable changes brought by time.

• Monterey

  The chapter is written in a 'paulo-past tense,' lamenting the irreversible changes to Monterey and the vanishing of its old ways, much like the burning forests and the decaying mission.

• The Woods and the Pacific

  The description of forest fires and the potential desolation of California reflects on impermanence and natural destruction.

• Napa Wine

  The decline of ancient European vineyards and the transient, experimental nature of California's wine industry evoke a sense of impermanence and change.

• The Act of Squatting

  The abandoned mine and its relics (old bills, broken glass) evoke a sense of lost lives and the rapid decay of human endeavors.

• Episodes in the Story of a Mine

  The ruins of Silverado evoke the transience of human enterprise, with the narrator reflecting on the bustling past now reduced to silence and decay.

• III

  Reflections on the deaths of Millet and young artists like Gaston Lafenestre and Hills, and the decline of former favorites, underscore the fleeting nature of life and artistic fame.

• V

  Reflections on the old inn's decay and the fading memory of past guests highlight the transient nature of places and people.

• The Coast of Fife

  Reflections on the sadness of leaving home, historical deaths, and the decay of towns.

• Cockermouth and Keswick

  The author reflects on how time erases memories, comparing forgotten parts of a journey to a lost daguerreotype or a shadowy plain, highlighting the inevitable decay of recollection.

• An Evangelist

  Smethurst reflects on the loss of sharp impressions with age, and the narrator contemplates the making of reminiscences.

• A Winter’s Walk in Carrick and Galloway

  The encounter with the elderly cockle-gatherer and the ruined castle highlight themes of aging, loneliness, and historical decay.

• Forest Notes

  The essay contemplates the transient beauty of the forest and the inevitable decay and renewal of life.

• On the Plain

  The decay of the château, the cyclical seasons, and the historical events that have passed reflect the transient nature of power and human life.

• Morality

  The forest is a place where one might elude Death, the 'mighty hunter', and live beyond the normal span, yet the inevitability of time and death is ever-present.

• Health and Mountains

  The contrast between the passive, deathlike existence in Riviera resorts and the active, life-affirming possibilities of mountain life highlights themes of mortality and the desire to reclaim time.

• The Stimulation of the Alps

  The chapter contrasts the temporary 'dream of health' with underlying illness, and the transient joy of Alpine life with the inevitable return to 'quieter inflections' and lower altitudes.

• On the Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places

  The ruins of the castles and the transient wind serve as metaphors for the fleeting nature of human life against the backdrop of eternal natural forces.