Reading is a kinetic experience

Image by Madu Goncalves

“What do you read there, Milord?

Words, Words, Words.”

Words upon the page are for both the eye and the ear; the placement of the words upon the page is like the actor or dancer upon the stage. Their placement in itself is a visual accompaniment to the playwright’s words or the composer’s music, illuminating visually the intent and import of the piece.  And so it is with prose in the novel. A one-word paragraph or a paragraph that has no ending punctuation and continues on to the next paragraph that does not begin with a capital letter is a method of enjambment – accelerating the pace of the section; this is nothing new – Faulkner does it often especially in The Bear.