The Man and the Moment

"The Man and the Moment" by Elinor Glyn is a work of fiction written in the early 20th century. The story centers around Michael Arranstoun, a wealthy and handsome young man who finds himself entangled in a complicated relationship with Violet Hatfield, whose husband is dying. As the narrative unfolds, Michael's emotional struggles lead him to an unexpected encounter with Sabine Delburg, a seemingly innocent girl seeking freedom from a burdensome engagement. At the start of the story, Michael is depicted as frustrated and cornered by societal expectations and his own desires. After an intense confrontation with his friend Henry Fordyce about his impending marriage to Violet, it becomes clear that Michael desires an escape from this imminent entrapment. Just as he contemplates drastic solutions to regain his freedom, a series of events leads to Sabine's accidental entry into his life. Her presence offers a surprising distraction, and both characters quickly hatch an unconventional plan to marry—rooted in their mutual need for freedom, but with the looming uncertainty of what such a decision entails. The opening section sets the tone for a tale that intertwines themes of love, freedom, and societal constraints, foreshadowing the delightful chaos that is to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Elinor Glyn was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern standards. She popularized the concept of the it-girl, and had tremendous influence on early 20th-century popular culture and, possibly, on the careers of notable Hollywood stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and, especially, Clara Bow.