time in fiction

[Thomas Vieth]

It seems to me that a point has not been considered in this thread, yet. 
If it has, bear with me. I'm talking about certain syntactical features. 

The use of ellipses and very short sentences render a certain 
breathlessness to the text, i.e. they "shrink" the narrative time. On 
the other hand, long, winding sentences, elaborate allusions, and the 
like "expand" the narrative time. 

The same is true for paragraphs. Has anyone noticed that a series of 
shorter paragraphs render a much speedier reading than paragraphs that 
go, say, over more than one page?

A high level author such as TRP can use these features with remarkable 
skil, alternating their presence and, at an appropriate spot, could turn 
them in the systole and diastole of a beating heart. (Something that may 
happen when the heart is thematically involved. This, of course, is a 
fictional example, as I cannot think of any scene in any book where this 
was effectively practiced.)

Thomas Vieth
Down with Triolahidi
Long live Hollerodullyo



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