The Book-Length Sentence In The Age Of Twitter

The Book-Length Sentence In The Age Of Twitter

The most famous mega-sentence in literature comes at the end of the book, not the beginning. Molly Bloom's monologue from "Ulysses" (1922) --36 pages in the thinly margined, micro-fonted 1986 single-volume corrected text (and actually two long sentences, thanks to an often-overlooked period 17 pages in) -- sets an impossibly high standard for the art of the run-on. It breathlessly binds together all that comes before while nearly obliterating it, permanently coloring the reader's memory in one final rush. It feels unstoppable, and then it stops.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot