Novel without verbs
Comments: 9
Via The Literary Saloon this news: a novel without verbs.
Perhaps inevitably, critics have commented unfavourably on the lack of action in Michel Thaler’s work, The Train from Nowhere, which runs to 233 pages. Instead of action, lengthy passages are filled with florid adjectives in a series of vitriolic portraits of dislikeable passengers on a train.
The author, eccentric. The reasons, unknown. Dadaism? Surrealism? How hard, just this verb-less entry.
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Posted to Books • 2004.05.11 (Tue) • 21:42
Comments
Posted by dowingba 2004.05.12, 04:00
You know, it doesn’t count when you just omit a verb from a sentence, making it nonsensical. “Via The Literary Saloon this news: a novel without verbs.”
Posted by Kristen 2004.05.12, 06:00
I sometimes write without using “to be” verbs which proves challenging but improves my prose. I can’t fathom writing a novel’s worth of verbless semi-sentences. Or reading one. Especially in French.
Posted by Durf 2004.05.12, 20:47
“Author” and “reason[s]” are both verbs. :-P
a leaf delicous(ly) on tree the processor delicous a tree leaf(y) on delicous the processor leaf a delicous tree(s) on leaf the processor tree
Posted by Stephen 2004.05.13, 13:26
Nice one, Durf; in context yes, here not so much. My thoughts: surrealism, maybe; dadaism, possibly. A revolution? Unlikely, but a notion of grandeur.
Posted by matthew 2004.05.17, 06:00
You might enjoy these comments on that link
Posted by Doc Shellback 2004.05.18, 08:13
A novel without a verb? Written by a Frenchman? Oh how novel! As verbs denote “action” this novel is, after all, just oh so French — all talk and no action! Oui? So what else is new?
Posted by Seuss 2004.06.17, 22:14
critics have commented - Comment and it’s past tense are verbs.
runs to 233 pages - Picky but you should have used lasts 233 pages or…
Posted by Mark Jones 2005.09.13, 14:51
Ever heard of the book “Ella Minnow Pea” (LMNOP) where the guy who coined the phrase “the quick brown fox…..” was buried on an island and his quote was on the headstone and a letter dropped off so the island stopped using that letter, then another letter fell off and so on, etc… or something like that, published @ 4 years ago. Now I have given you a perfect example of a run-on sentence to use as an example to teach writers what not to do when they write. lol ;+{) MJ
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