Literary Lists: A Short History Of Form And Function

This book provides a concise introduction to lists in literature from the early modern period to the twenty-first century. Tracing the changing functions of the literary list across time, it offers a broad range of case studies which situate selected enumerations in their respective contexts and demonstrate the versatility and creative potential of the list form. Starting with a review of previous research on the literary list, the book discusses four main constellations of enumeration: series and the great chain of being; itemization and enumerative realism; ‘letteracettera’ and experimental list-making; ‘white noise’ and creative exploits of enumeration between formal playfulness and existential exploration. The epilogue offers an analytical toolkit for the study of literary lists based on rhetorical theory.

• | Author: Roman Alexander Barton, Eva Von Contzen, Anne Rüggemeier
• | Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• | Publication Date: May 24, 2023
• | Number of Pages: 148 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover
• | ISBN-10: 3031283716
• | ISBN-13: 9783031283710