In "Circles and Lines: the shape of life in early America", historian John Demos has compiled a collection of three lectures which are part of the William E. Massey Sr. Lectures located in the History of American Civilization series at Harvard University.

In the lectures, which Demos has transcribed into three chapters, Demos observed closely the " shape of life " across three centuries 17th, 18th and 19th. Distinctly, Demos traces change from a traditional understanding of time and space through a time of transition and onward toward a more modern interpretation.

Demos starts out by establishing what he calls the " traditional world " which he defined as recurring cycles. Daily activities were tied closely to sunrise and sunset, which became markers in the overall scheme of the day. For example, in Massachusetts mealtime was reserved for daylight hours, while sleeping was tightly linked to...