the grammar of fiction
February 21, 2008 by delzey
This might not be all that original, and my examples may be weak, but I’m flying with this idea that forms of fiction take after the elements of grammar. To wit:
simple noun = sketch
e.g. Fool
simple subject = vignette
e.g. The Village Fool
subject + verb = short story
e.g. The Village Fool Dies
simple sentence = novella
e.g. The Day the Village Fool Died
complex sentence = novel
e.g. The Life and Death of the Village Fool
sentence beginning with a conjunction = literary novel
e.g. And Death Fools the Village
possesive noun/non-sentence = epic/classic
e.g. Dead Fool’s Village
Feel free to add your own. And if someone else somewhere has tapped this, let me know and I’ll change it. Not change you can Xerox, mind you…
