Language Quote by Jenny Baranick
““If you want to see a truly long sentence, pick up a copy of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, which reportedly contains a 4,391 word sentence. And when you’re finished with that one, Jonathan Coe’s book The Rotters Club contains a sentence made up of 13,955 words.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Ulysses by James Joyce, 1922; Novel: The Rotters Club by Jonathan Coe, 2001
The quote highlights extreme examples of long sentences in literature, illustrating experimental narrative styles and the authors’ willingness to push linguistic boundaries.
In simple terms: Shows how some writers create very long sentences for artistic effect.
Key Takeaway
Appreciate varied writing styles.
Themes
literature
experimental writing
language
novels
authorial ambition
Mood
curious
analytical
playful
Type
observational
informative
When to use this quote
- reading academic
- creative writing workshops
- literary analysis
- discussions on prose style
Key Concepts
stream of consciousness
narrative structure
grammatical complexity
Questions to Reflect On
- What does a long sentence achieve that shorter ones cannot?
- How does sentence length affect reader engagement?
A Different Perspective
Long sentences can be difficult to follow and may alienate some readers.
![“[Ulysses] appears to have been written by a perverted lunatic who has made a speciality of the literature of the latrine… I have no stomach for Ulysses… James Joyce is a writer of talent, but in Ulysses he has ruled out all the elementary decencies of life and dwells appreciatively on things that…” quote by Aramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/69c/aramis-186052_bad-reviews_ulysses-appears-to-have-been-written-by_210594.jpg)
![“James Joyce is a cul-de-sac. [Ulysses is] ... an example how literature branched out and went into, lost itself in nowhere, no man's land.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21d/werner-herzog-964_books_james-joyce-is-a-cul-de-sac-ulysses-is-a_176588.jpg)
