there arrived an epoch

[Mher]

What does ՞epoch՞ mean here? Is the author talking about a particular day?
"There arrived an epoch — as often before there had arrived — in which I found myself emerging from total
unconsciousness into the first feeble and indefinite sense of existence." (http://poestories.com/read/premature)

 

[probus]

"Is the author talking about a particular day?"

In a sense, yes, but the day and the epoch are not equivalent. An epoch is a significant interval, certainly longer than a day and probably much longer. But an epoch must begin on a certain day, and I think that is what Poe is referring to. The epoch began on the day he found himself emerging from ...

 

[Tarheel]

I think Poe is talking about the time period when all the weird stuff goes on. (And there's a lot of weird stuff.)

:shock:

 

[Roman55]

Yes.

I took 'There arrived an epoch…' to mean 'There came a time…'

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I read it differently. An epoch isn't just a time. It's a very long time.

So he's saying that it seemed to take a very long time to wake up or regain consciousness - an eternity, eons, ages, an epoch.

 

[probus]

"An epoch isn't just a time. It's a very long time."

No it isn't. It is, but only in paleontology. V., e.g. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epoch

 

[Mrfatso]

"An epoch isn't just a time. It's a very long time."

No it isn't. It is, but only in paleontology. V., e.g. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epoch

It would be more accurate to say geology rather than paleonotology, although fossils are used as relative dating evidence geochronology requires the use of radiometric dating of specimens of rock to provide dates.

Epoch is also used in astronomy as well.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

"An epoch isn't just a time. It's a very long time."

No it isn't. It is, but only in paleontology. V., e.g. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epoch

An epoch is also a period in history - for instance, the Belle Epoche. Waking up usually takes a few seconds or a few minutes. Epochs are measured in years. It seemed like waking up took years, eons, ages, a century, an eternity, forever, whatever.

So it's clear that he's saying, writing figuratively, that it took a long time to wake up.

 

[Roman55]

An epoch is also a period in history - for instance, the Belle Epoche.

I am not a teacher.

That should be belle époque.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I am not a teacher.

That should be belle époque.

Yup. Thanks! (And pardon my French!)

 

[probus]

I also always thought that an epoch was a very long time. But according to dictionaries, it isn't.