"Proved Dead . . . Proved Dead . . .”: Ellipsis, elision and expurgation in interwar First World War prose

Frayn, Andrew

Abstract

This chapter addresses the use of various forms of typographical ellipsis. In it I argue that ellipses represent failures of communication which are characteristic of early-twentieth-century writing, pointing to limit experiences which could be described directly but for social taboos which prevent this. These ellipses tend to denote the permeability of bodies, whether by sexual interaction or the violence of the First World War.

Citation

Frayn, A. "Proved Dead . . . Proved Dead . . .”: Ellipsis, elision and expurgation in interwar First World War prose. In A History of Punctuation in English Literature. Cambridge University Press

• Deposit Date: Jun 14, 2024
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: A History of Punctuation in English Literature
• Chapter Number: 79
• Contract Date: Apr 30, 2024