Anne Toner provides an original account of the history of ellipsis marks - dots, dashes and asterisks - in English literary writing. Highlighting ever-renewing interest in these forms of non-completion in literature, Toner demonstrates how writers have striven to get closer to the hesitancies and interruptions of spoken language, the indeterminacies of thought, and the successive or fragmented nature of experience by means of these textual symbols. While such punctuation marks may seem routine today, this book describes their emergence in early modern drama and examines the relationship between authors, printers and grammarians in advancing or obstructing the standardisation of the marks. Their development is explored through close study of the works of major English writers, including Jonson, Shakespeare, Richardson, Sterne, Meredith and Woolf, along with visual illustrations of their usage. In particular, Toner traces the evolution of ellipsis marks in the novel, a form highly receptive to elliptical punctuation.

A history of ellipsis marks and their functions in major works of English literature over the past 500 years.

About the Author
Anne Toner is a Fellow and Director of Studies in English at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Reviews
'This is a fine book, written with wit, flair, and brio. Economy gives its argument the verve and tautness of an essay, while Toner's rich range of reference reverberates much farther.' Kathryn Sutherland, Cambridge Quarterly
'[Toner] does not pursue a handful of extensive close readings or author-centred chapters: she sprints with wonderful concision and economy through five centuries of English literature ...' Owen Boynton, Essays in Criticism



Book Information
ISBN 9781107421325
Author Anne Toner
Format Paperback
Page Count 265
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 400g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 153mm * 14mm