the Timetable is a Romance French of Michel Butor published in 1956.

Summary

the Timetable is the account of the life of a young French, Jacques Revel, carrying out a one year training course in the company Matthews and Sons in the imaginary city of Bleston, which one supposes English. Revel does itself the account of the events which arrive to him, probably writing in a Agenda since we are given the dates of each day.

It begins its account the Thursday the 1st er May, telling its life starting from its arrival the previous on October 1st. In the same way, he writes only the days of week: Monday to Friday. That involves many ellipses and flashbacks which the author uses “to lose” his reader in a multiform history.

One thus follows the written thoughts of the narrator Jacques Revel, who in particular believes to be responsible for an attempted murder, which unties perhaps imaginary strings of the life of the inhabitants of Bleston. In fact, the town of Bleston wants to be a main character of the novel.

Other

• the Timetable can be regarded as an good example of the movement of the Nouveau novel, novels of the years 1950 in France rather experimental and refusing to grant to the Intrigue a paramount place.
• There exists a film of the same name left in 2001: the Timetable of Laurent Cantet; it does not have any relationship with the novel.

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