“Time be Time”: The Interwtined Nature of Time and Technology in William Gibson’s Neuromancer

Abstract

This paper uses the ideas of Paul Ricoeur and Heideggerian time theory to explore the ways in which those who are deeply integrated into technology in *Neuromancer *experience mechanical time, which results in anxiety about time’s passage, while those who are outside of that technological world have a rich, authentic experience of time that does not result in anxiety about time’s passing; however, Gibson does not allow an easy binary through which his characters can escape the world of technology. Instead, his protagonists make peace with time by moving into and through the singularity of the AIs in an experience of timelessness.