<!doctype html public «-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en»> http-equiv=content-type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859–1"> Leisure is the act of lingering freely in time beyond the rationality of purpose. Models of leisure are always embedded in their particular cultural contexts. This volume illustrates historical paradigms of leisure in terms of their literary depictions, discursive interdependencies, and performative effects. The essays examine leisure as a distinct anthropological phenomenon that opposes time pressures and opens up new space for expression.