The Sense of an Ending (1967) is a book which seeks to establish a connection between fiction, time and apocalyptic modes of thought. Frank Kermode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Kermode) sees in the apocalyptic certain features which, he suggests, provide a useful analogy with the process of reading and writing fiction.
The author tells us that in imagining an end for the world apocalyptic thinkers are imposing a pattern on history, thus making possible ‘a satisfying consonance with the origins and with the middle’.
This classic in literary theory has fittingly stood the test of time (time is the major theme of the book). Before embarking on this read the following excellent review http://www.richardwebster.net/kermode.html
You may wish to follow up by reading ‘The Sense of an Ending‘, the 2011 Booker Prize winning novel by Julian Barnes, which also deals with the structure of time.
Check if these titles are in stock at your local library by consulting the online catalogue here Home | South Lanarkshire Libraries (sllclibrary.co.uk)
Professor Frank Kermode
218 pages in Oxford University Press paperback
First published 1967
ISBN 978-0195136128