SOURCE: Ranta, Jerrald. “Time in Bellow's Seize the Day.” Essays in Literature 23, no. 2 (fall 1995): 300-15.

In the following essay, Ranta addresses the roles of Gregorian and Jewish calendar time in the novella Seize the Day.

The ongoing critical study of time and history in Saul Bellow's works has largely neglected Seize the Day, as can be seen in Judie Newman's major study of history in Bellow's works, which mentions Seize the Day only briefly.¹ Accordingly, this study will examine selected time-referents in the novella, and because time-referents can also be cultural-referents, the discussion also addresses the roles of both Gregorian and Jewish time in the story. Though temporal concerns in Seize the Day itself have not been studied, there is no lack of criticism that can shed light on the problem. Of greatest use are Bellow's own essays and interviews, several of which are quoted below. Newman's “Conclusion...