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Absalom, Absalom! ">When William Faulkner Set the World Record for Writing the Longest Sentence in Literature: Read the 1,288-Word Sentence from Absalom, Absalom!

in Books , Literature , Writing | March 14th, 2019 39 Comments

Image by Carl Van Vecht­en, via Wiki­me­dia Com­mons

“How did Faulkn­er pull it off?” is a ques­tion many a fledg­ling writer has asked them­selves while strug­gling through a peri­od of appren­tice­ship like that nov­el­ist John Barth describes in his 1999 talk “My Faulkn­er.” Barth “ reorches­trat­ed ” his lit­er­ary heroes, he says, “in search of my writer­ly self… down­load­ing my innu­mer­able pre­de­ces­sors as only an insa­tiable green appren­tice can.” Sure­ly a great many writ­ers can relate when Barth says, “it was Faulkn­er at his most invo­lut­ed and incan­ta­to­ry who most enchant­ed me.” For many a writer, the Faulkner­ian sen­tence is an irre­sistible labyrinth. His syn­tax has a way of weav­ing itself into the uncon­scious, emerg­ing as fair to mid­dling imi­ta­tion.

While study­ing at Johns Hop­kins Uni­ver­si­ty, Barth found him­self writ­ing about his native East­ern Shore Mary­land in a pas­tiche style of “mid­dle Faulkn­er and late Joyce.” He may have won some praise from a vis­it­ing young William Sty­ron, “but the fin­ished opus didn’t fly—for one thing, because Faulkn­er inti­mate­ly knew  his Snopses and Comp­sons and Sar­toris­es, as I did not know my made-up denizens of the Mary­land marsh.” The advice to write only what you know may not be worth much as a uni­ver­sal com­mand­ment. But study­ing the way that Faulkn­er wrote when he turned to the sub­jects he knew best pro­vides an object les­son on how pow­er­ful a lit­er­ary resource inti­ma­cy can be.

Not only does Faulkner’s deep affil­i­a­tion with his char­ac­ters’ inner lives ele­vate his por­traits far above the lev­el of local col­or or region­al­ist curios­i­ty, but it ani­mates his sen­tences, makes them con­stant­ly move and breathe. No mat­ter how long and twist­ed they get, they do not wilt, with­er, or drag; they run riv­er-like, turn­ing around in asides, out­rag­ing them­selves and dou­bling and tripling back. Faulkner’s inti­ma­cy is not earnest­ness, it is the uncan­ny feel­ing of a raw encounter with a nerve cen­ter light­ing up with infor­ma­tion, all of it seem­ing­ly crit­i­cal­ly impor­tant.

It is the extra­or­di­nary sen­so­ry qual­i­ty of his prose that enabled Faulkn­er to get away with writ­ing the longest sen­tence in lit­er­a­ture, at least accord­ing to the 1983 Guin­ness Book of World Records , a pas­sage from Absa­lom, Absa­lom! c onsist­ing of 1,288 words and who knows how many dif­fer­ent kinds of claus­es. There are now longer sen­tences in Eng­lish writ­ing. Jonathan Coe’s The Rotter’s Club   ends with a 33-page long whop­per with 13,955 words in it. Entire nov­els hun­dreds of pages long have been writ­ten in one sen­tence in oth­er lan­guages. All of Faulkner’s mod­ernist con­tem­po­raries, includ­ing of course Joyce, Wolff, and Beck­ett, mas­tered the use of run-ons , to dif­fer­ent effect.

But, for a time, Faulkn­er took the run-on as far as it could go. He may have had no inten­tion of inspir­ing post­mod­ern fic­tion, but one of its best-known nov­el­ists, Barth, only found his voice by first writ­ing a “heav­i­ly Faulkner­ian marsh-opera.” Many hun­dreds of exper­i­men­tal writ­ers have had almost iden­ti­cal expe­ri­ences try­ing to exor­cise the Oxford, Mis­sis­sip­pi modernist’s voice from their prose. Read that one­time longest sen­tence in lit­er­a­ture, all 1,288 words of it, below.

Just exact­ly like Father if Father had known as much about it the night before I went out there as he did the day after I came back think­ing Mad impo­tent old man who real­ized at last that there must be some lim­it even to the capa­bil­i­ties of a demon for doing harm, who must have seen his sit­u­a­tion as that of the show girl, the pony, who real­izes that the prin­ci­pal tune she prances to comes not from horn and fid­dle and drum but from a clock and cal­en­dar, must have seen him­self as the old wornout can­non which real­izes that it can deliv­er just one more fierce shot and crum­ble to dust in its own furi­ous blast and recoil, who looked about upon the scene which was still with­in his scope and com­pass and saw son gone, van­ished, more insu­per­a­ble to him now than if the son were dead since now (if the son still lived) his name would be dif­fer­ent and those to call him by it strangers and what­ev­er dragon’s out­crop­ping of Sut­pen blood the son might sow on the body of what­ev­er strange woman would there­fore car­ry on the tra­di­tion, accom­plish the hered­i­tary evil and harm under anoth­er name and upon and among peo­ple who will nev­er have heard the right one; daugh­ter doomed to spin­ster­hood who had cho­sen spin­ster­hood already before there was any­one named Charles Bon since the aunt who came to suc­cor her in bereave­ment and sor­row found nei­ther but instead that calm absolute­ly impen­e­tra­ble face between a home­spun dress and sun­bon­net seen before a closed door and again in a cloudy swirl of chick­ens while Jones was build­ing the cof­fin and which she wore dur­ing the next year while the aunt lived there and the three women wove their own gar­ments and raised their own food and cut the wood they cooked it with (excus­ing what help they had from Jones who lived with his grand­daugh­ter in the aban­doned fish­ing camp with its col­laps­ing roof and rot­ting porch against which the rusty scythe which Sut­pen was to lend him, make him bor­row to cut away the weeds from the door-and at last forced him to use though not to cut weeds, at least not veg­etable weeds ‑would lean for two years) and wore still after the aunt’s indig­na­tion had swept her back to town to live on stolen gar­den truck and out o f anony­mous bas­kets left on her front steps at night, the three of them, the two daugh­ters negro and white and the aunt twelve miles away watch­ing from her dis­tance as the two daugh­ters watched from theirs the old demon, the ancient vari­cose and despair­ing Faus­tus fling his final main now with the Creditor’s hand already on his shoul­der, run­ning his lit­tle coun­try store now for his bread and meat, hag­gling tedious­ly over nick­els and dimes with rapa­cious and pover­ty-strick­en whites and negroes, who at one time could have gal­loped for ten miles in any direc­tion with­out cross­ing his own bound­ary, using out of his mea­gre stock the cheap rib­bons and beads and the stale vio­lent­ly-col­ored can­dy with which even an old man can seduce a fif­teen-year-old coun­try girl, to ruin the grand­daugh­ter o f his part­ner, this Jones-this gan­gling malar­ia-rid­den white man whom he had giv­en per­mis­sion four­teen years ago to squat in the aban­doned fish­ing camp with the year-old grand­child-Jones, part­ner porter and clerk who at the demon’s com­mand removed with his own hand (and maybe deliv­ered too) from the show­case the can­dy beads and rib­bons, mea­sured the very cloth from which Judith (who had not been bereaved and did not mourn) helped the grand­daugh­ter to fash­ion a dress to walk past the loung­ing men in, the side-look­ing and the tongues, until her increas­ing bel­ly taught her embar­rass­ment-or per­haps fear;-Jones who before ’61 had not even been allowed to approach the front of the house and who dur­ing the next four years got no near­er than the kitchen door and that only when he brought the game and fish and veg­eta­bles on which the seducer-to-be’s wife and daugh­ter (and Clytie too, the one remain­ing ser­vant, negro, the one who would for­bid him to pass the kitchen door with what he brought) depend­ed on to keep life in them, but who now entered the house itself on the (quite fre­quent now) after­noons when the demon would sud­den­ly curse the store emp­ty of cus­tomers and lock the door and repair to the rear and in the same tone in which he used to address his order­ly or even his house ser­vants when he had them (and in which he doubt­less ordered Jones to fetch from the show­case the rib­bons and beads and can­dy) direct Jones to fetch the jug, the two of them (and Jones even sit­ting now who in the old days, the old dead Sun­day after­noons of monot­o­nous peace which they spent beneath the scup­per­nong arbor in the back yard, the demon lying in the ham­mock while Jones squat­ted against a post, ris­ing from time to time to pour for the demon from the demi­john and the buck­et of spring water which he had fetched from the spring more than a mile away then squat­ting again, chortling and chuck­ling and say­ing ‘Sho, Mis­ter Tawm’ each time the demon paused)-the two of them drink­ing turn and turn about from the jug and the demon not lying down now nor even sit­ting but reach­ing after the third or sec­ond drink that old man’s state of impo­tent and furi­ous unde­feat in which he would rise, sway­ing and plung­ing and shout­ing for his horse and pis­tols to ride sin­gle-hand­ed into Wash­ing­ton and shoot Lin­coln (a year or so too late here) and Sher­man both, shout­ing, ‘Kill them! Shoot them down like the dogs they are!’ and Jones: ‘Sho, Ker­nel; sho now’ and catch­ing him as he fell and com­man­deer­ing the first pass­ing wag­on to take him to the house and car­ry him up the front steps and through the paint­less for­mal door beneath its fan­light import­ed pane by pane from Europe which Judith held open for him to enter with no change, no alter­ation in that calm frozen face which she had worn for four years now, and on up the stairs and into the bed­room and put him to bed like a baby and then lie down him­self on the floor beside the bed though not to sleep since before dawn the man on the bed would stir and groan and Jones would say, ‘fly­er I am, Ker­nel. Hit’s all right. They aint whupped us yit, air they?’ this Jones who after the demon rode away with the reg­i­ment when the grand­daugh­ter was only eight years old would tell peo­ple that he ‘was lookin after Major’s place and nig­gers’ even before they had time to ask him why he was not with the troops and per­haps in time came to believe the lie him­self, who was among the first to greet the demon when he returned, to meet him at the gate and say, ‘Well, Ker­nel, they kilt us but they aint whupped us yit, air they?’ who even worked, labored, sweat at the demon’s behest dur­ing that first furi­ous peri­od while the demon believed he could restore by sheer indomitable will­ing the Sutpen’s Hun­dred which he remem­bered and had lost, labored with no hope of pay or reward who must have seen long before the demon did (or would admit it) that the task was hope­less-blind Jones who appar­ent­ly saw still in that furi­ous lech­er­ous wreck the old fine fig­ure of the man who once gal­loped on the black thor­ough­bred about that domain two bound­aries of which the eye could not see from any point.

Relat­ed Con­tent:

5 Won­der­ful­ly Long Lit­er­ary Sen­tences by Samuel Beck­ett, Vir­ginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzger­ald & Oth­er Mas­ters of the Run-On

Sev­en Tips From William Faulkn­er on How to Write Fic­tion

William Faulkn­er Reads from As I Lay Dying

Josh Jones  is a writer and musi­cian based in Durham, NC. Fol­low him at  @jdmagness

by Josh Jones | Permalink | Comments (39) |

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Comments (39), 39 comments so far.

Imag­ine read­ing a nov­el with a sen­tence that was 40 000 words long!

Ya know ya got ya ya girl ya ya know ya ya boy you got caught with them and then ya got a robot in the car with a car in your head that was the best dog ever and you can call me and call him when I wan­na is it time I get off work I will see if I got­ta I wan­na is a time I got a ride truck truck ride and iiiu­uyr

How did you do that. the longest thing that I have ever wrote was a 600 word para­graph and I just wrote that.

I think this is so cool that he spent this time on it but who would real­ly read this all

omg i have to read this about a week and im done and i just want to say this have made my day

i have wrote a sto­ry which has 12083 words in it. i broke the world record. but they did not give the award because i was a kid :C

Read this in an hour eas­i­ly

@arkin “It is sup­pos­ed­ly the world’s longest pub­lished nov­el in Eng­lish at 2.5 mil­lion words. If you have some extra time, you can read it at marienbadmylove.com. 4. A la recherche du temps per­du by Mar­cel Proust.”

I got a sen­tence that was 5639 words long

i just looked it up so can can copy and paste it on my school chat for fun not to read

I just want­ed to say, i real­ly like cheese, and…i think…i think my teacher is mad at me sry wait…shes mad because i was ask­ing my oth­er teacher ques­tions about work online… hmmm.…my teacher sure is a ##### ass fem­i­nist…

shutcho pick­el chin as up

i just wrote a sen­tence with 1,289 words so ha

oh real­ly i doubt it

oh real­ly i doubt it.

Maybe fact check before com­ing up with such bla­tant lies. 12083 is a mid length nov­el­ette.

hel­lo, I like to play Fort­nite it is a real­ly good game.

i just read this in a day

owfr­jt­nrgkzcb­vwruogjlv­da­jng­wruo­jl­nvdak­jefn­lvk aij hii­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­i­ii

This was so long

jfeo’is­b­hoaub­h­fvion­ad­k­fvb­skjvb efn­vkjnb­sx­uh­bgv hii­i­ii

Wow final­ly a wor­thy oppo­nent.

this has one word in it first per­son to see the gets $100 cash app njhce­whfb whebfuewhfjwenifbewiubfiebfebwqjfbwejnfewihfiuhweniufjeuirhfiuerfburiebfiewbjfkwefqhcewfhepwuhfiuwerfuiwqerpifjbruegferiuhfiuerwhfuiifewiviiuhuihrgiobguhtrbiuhtreiubhriurhviuwrhiuvht4rnrijpewvpiefhwnovjibrfpierfnhvipuerbfviuphrwipjvnwefkjvnpwiefv pirfnh­piejpo­er­w­pivher­w­poivh­wepri­u­vipr evi­jn­rei­jn­ro­jvwe­jr­fvoijer­reiobfr iuvfrvjo frvjr­weoijb­vweio­jr­foi­w­er­vice­br­wou­vb­wer­ou­vu perivoerijvoiuwerbviouweroiuberouvberfoefubvouiwriuebrouweuberwiuvherivyherwiubvewiurobviuwervuwervouwrewoiuvherwiuoeHIewijvhferiucbuhewjdhfewiufdhiu3riuheriufheriuhfiuerhfiuhwreiufhirwhiufhwiurhfiuhreiuhfiuheriwfhriehfiuerwhufihreuifheirhfiuwheruifherwoiuwfheruhwifhreiuhwoiuhfuerhfhwruifhriuehfueri

is it the word “be” found in the 17th, and 18th let­ters?

this is not a long para­graph it is mul­ti­ple

I am just not as pret­ty as my friend Haylee she is fab so give me a chance for this job

This has the word “his” in it

Had to trans­late this for his­to­ry class so I chose this sentence(How fing stu­pid of me)

That Was A lot Of Words

Bro I copied this and held paste and send it to my friend XD

no you did’t:>

uhm, I put this in a word counter and its not 1,288, its 1,304. please fix this :3

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Scienceexchange.blog

The Ultimate Guide To Discovering The Longest Essay Ever Written

What is considered the longest essay ever written is subjective, as no official record exists. However, some notable contenders include “The Genealogy of Morals” by Friedrich Nietzsche (1887), “The Collapse of the Weimar Republic” by William Sheridan Allen (1981), and “The Oxford English Dictionary” (1884-1928).

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School Essay Writer

What Is the Longest Essay Ever Written: Exploring Records

What‌ Defines the Length ‌of an Essay in Academic Writing?

Exploring ‍the history of long essays in literature ‌and​ academia, the guinness world record holder for​ the‌ longest⁣ essay ever written, challenges⁣ faced‍ in⁣ writing‍ lengthy⁢ essays: tips and⁣ strategies, examining the⁤ structure and⁤ organization of long essays, notable examples of long essays across different disciplines, impact of long essays on​ research and knowledge production, exploring‌ records: what is the longest essay ‌ever written, benefits⁤ and⁢ drawbacks of writing ​extremely long essays, advice for ⁣writers embarking on⁢ lengthy essay projects, pushing the boundaries: potentials ‌for ​future record-breaking essays, concluding remarks.

In academic⁣ writing, the ⁣length of an ​essay is ‌typically determined by the ⁣assignment guidelines, the complexity ​of the topic, and the depth of analysis ⁤required.⁣ Essays can⁣ range from a few⁤ hundred words to several thousand words, depending on​ these ‌factors. ⁤However, when it⁢ comes​ to‌ exploring the longest essays ever written, ⁣there ⁣are⁣ some truly remarkable‍ records that ​have ⁣been‍ set.

One ⁣of the longest essays ever written is ‌Marcel Proust’s‌ “À la recherche‌ du ‍temps perdu” (In Search of​ Lost Time), which spans⁣ a total of⁢ over 13,000​ pages in ⁢its entirety. This ⁤monumental⁢ work is​ considered ⁢one⁢ of the longest ‌novels in literary history⁢ and is a testament to Proust’s dedication to exploring memory, time, and ‍identity.

Another notable example of a lengthy essay is “The Anatomy of Melancholy” by Robert Burton, ​which is a​ sprawling exploration ⁤of‌ the human ‌condition that exceeds 1,400 pages. This‍ classic ⁣work delves into topics​ such⁣ as psychology,​ philosophy,‍ and medicine, ⁣and showcases the author’s extensive research and intellectual curiosity.

When ‍considering⁢ the length‍ of an ⁣essay in academic​ writing, ⁤it is important to prioritize clarity, coherence, and conciseness in order⁢ to effectively communicate ideas⁣ and arguments. ​While it ‍can be fascinating to‍ explore the records for the longest essays ever written, ⁣it ⁣is ultimately the quality⁤ of the‌ writing and the‍ depth of ⁢analysis that truly define the success of an academic⁤ essay.

Long essays‌ have been‌ a staple in literature ​and academia ⁣for ⁤centuries, with⁤ writers and scholars ⁤alike using the form to delve deep into⁤ complex ​topics⁤ and ⁤explore ideas‌ in depth. ​In ⁣the world⁤ of literature, authors like Virginia‌ Woolf, James Joyce, and ‌Marcel Proust are⁣ known for their lengthy, immersive essays that push the⁣ boundaries⁣ of traditional‌ storytelling.

In‌ academia, long essays are a common assignment for students studying subjects ranging from history to ​philosophy ⁣to ​literature. These essays ​often require‍ extensive research, critical analysis, ​and a ​clear argument to effectively convey the author’s ⁤ideas.

But what ⁢is ⁢the⁢ longest essay ever written? While​ it’s difficult to pinpoint an⁢ exact⁣ answer due to the vast⁢ array of ⁤essays spanning different⁤ genres and disciplines, one‍ contender is⁣ Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost ‌Time,” a seven-volume novel that ‍is‌ often ⁤considered one ⁣of the longest ‌works of‌ fiction⁤ ever written.

When it ⁣comes to the⁣ longest essay ever written, you may be surprised to learn ⁣just how extensive it can ⁢be.‌ The Guinness World‍ Record⁢ holder for the longest‌ essay is a piece ⁤that will ⁢make your jaw ⁣drop ⁢with its‍ sheer ⁤length ⁢and dedication⁤ to⁤ the craft of writing.

This incredible achievement belongs to a dedicated⁢ writer‌ who‍ spent countless hours crafting a ⁣masterpiece ⁤that spans a mind-boggling number of pages. The amount of research, planning, and‌ writing that⁢ went ⁤into this essay is truly ⁢awe-inspiring, showcasing the writer’s commitment⁣ to ‌their topic⁣ and their determination to⁢ push the ⁣boundaries of literary achievement.

With this ⁤record-breaking essay, the writer has not only⁤ made history⁤ but has also set‍ a new standard ‌for what can‌ be achieved in​ the⁣ world of⁣ writing. ⁣Their dedication and⁤ passion for ⁤their⁤ craft serve⁣ as an inspiration to aspiring ⁣writers everywhere, showing ‌that ‌with hard work‌ and perseverance, anything is possible.

One⁤ of the biggest‌ challenges faced ⁢when⁤ writing lengthy essays‌ is maintaining consistency ​and​ coherence throughout the entire ‌piece. ​It can​ be difficult to⁤ keep the ⁣reader ⁣engaged and⁢ ensure that each paragraph flows seamlessly into the ‍next. To combat this issue, consider creating a detailed outline before ⁢diving into your essay.‌ This ⁤will help you stay organized and focus on one point‌ at ​a⁣ time.

Another common‌ challenge ‌when writing a⁣ long essay is ⁢overcoming writer’s ‌block. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the‌ sheer volume of ‌content required and ​lose⁢ sight of⁣ your main arguments. To tackle this ‌obstacle, try breaking down your essay into smaller sections and setting achievable⁤ goals‍ for⁢ each writing session. ‍This will help you stay motivated and ​on⁣ track to completing your‌ essay ⁣within‌ the‌ deadline.

Moreover, ⁣managing your ⁤time effectively is crucial⁣ when it​ comes to‍ writing a ⁣lengthy‍ essay.​ It’s important ‌to allocate ‌enough time for research, writing, and editing to ensure that your ‍essay is well-crafted and polished.⁢ Consider using tools such as​ time management apps or the Pomodoro ⁢technique to ⁤help you stay focused and productive throughout‌ the‌ writing process.

Long essays‍ can be⁣ daunting to write, but understanding⁤ their structure and organization​ can make the task ‍more manageable. ⁢The longest essay ⁢ever written⁢ is a topic of much debate, with various contenders vying ⁣for the title. In⁣ exploring ​records, ‍it’s important to consider⁤ not just the ​length ⁤of the essay, but also its content,‍ style, ⁢and impact.

When⁣ examining the structure of‍ long​ essays,⁤ it’s crucial​ to⁣ break down‌ the‍ text into ⁣manageable sections. ‍These ‌typically‌ include an introduction, body paragraphs,⁣ and⁤ a conclusion. Each section serves ‍a specific purpose⁣ in⁢ conveying the ⁤main argument or‌ thesis ‍of the essay.

Organizing a long essay requires ‍careful planning and attention to detail. One common‍ approach is to outline ⁢the main points and supporting evidence before writing. This helps⁤ to ensure a coherent and ‍logical⁤ flow of ideas throughout the essay.

Overall, understanding the ⁢structure and organization of long essays is essential​ for effectively‍ conveying your message to⁢ the reader.⁢ By breaking down the text into manageable sections‌ and carefully planning the​ content, you⁣ can create a compelling and impactful ⁣piece‍ of writing.

Some of⁤ the provide‌ fascinating insights ‌into⁣ various fields of study. ⁢One⁤ such example ⁤is Marcel Proust’s ‍”In​ Search⁢ of⁣ Lost ⁢Time,”‌ a seven-volume‌ novel ⁤that explores memory, time,‌ and⁣ personal reflection in ⁤exquisite detail. This literary‍ masterpiece has been⁣ praised‍ for its intricate narrative structure⁤ and profound⁣ philosophical⁣ themes.

In the realm of science, Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” is another⁢ lengthy and influential ‍essay ‍that revolutionized ⁢the ⁣field of biology. This‌ groundbreaking‍ work presents Darwin’s‍ theory of evolution ⁣through natural selection and has had ⁤a lasting impact on our understanding ‌of the ‍natural world.

In the field of philosophy, Immanuel ‌Kant’s “Critique⁢ of Pure Reason” stands out as a monumental work of⁣ epistemology and metaphysics.⁢ This dense and complex essay delves into the nature of human knowledge and ⁢reason, challenging ⁤readers to rethink their understanding​ of reality.

When it comes to⁢ long ‌essays, there have been ‍some remarkable ⁣examples ‌throughout history that‌ have ​left a ‍lasting⁤ impact on research ⁢and knowledge production. One particular question that often arises ​is: what is the ‍longest essay ever⁤ written? ⁢Let’s​ delve into some ​records and explore ⁢the answer to this intriguing question.

One notable​ contender ⁤for the title of the longest essay ever written is Marcel Proust’s​ “In Search of Lost ‍Time.” This epic ‍literary work spans over 3,000 pages and is‍ considered one of​ the ⁣longest novels in ‌existence. While technically a novel,‌ the depth and complexity⁢ of ⁢Proust’s writing can be likened to a⁣ scholarly essay ​due to its profound ​exploration‍ of memory,‍ time, ‍and human experience.

Another noteworthy example is ‌the collected⁢ works of ⁣Friedrich Schiller, a renowned ⁢German philosopher, poet, and playwright. ⁢Schiller’s complete ​works​ comprise over 100 volumes,⁣ containing ⁣essays, ‌plays, historical writings, ‌and philosophical treatises. His extensive body of work has had⁤ a significant impact on‍ various‍ fields of study, contributing to ‍a wealth of knowledge ​production.

Overall, the length of​ an ⁣essay is ⁢not necessarily⁣ indicative ‍of its quality or⁢ impact on research and knowledge⁤ production. While ​long ‌essays like those of Proust ‌and Schiller offer valuable insights and contributions to their respective fields, it is ultimately ​the depth of analysis, ⁤originality of ideas, and⁣ scholarly rigor that determine the true significance of ⁢an essay.

When it comes to writing⁤ essays,⁣ some ⁣students‌ thrive ⁤on the challenge​ of tackling‌ extremely long assignments. While ⁤there are certainly benefits to writing lengthy⁤ essays, there are also ⁢drawbacks to consider.​ Here are some of the pros​ and cons:

• In-depth Analysis: Writing a long‌ essay​ allows for ⁣a ⁣more ⁤thorough exploration ⁤of ​a topic, enabling the writer ‌to delve ‌deep into research and analysis.
• Development of​ Writing ‍Skills: Longer ⁣essays ‌provide ample opportunity for practicing writing ⁣skills, including​ organization, coherence, and argumentation.
• Showcasing Expertise: A lengthy⁣ essay ⁣can ‍demonstrate a⁢ student’s comprehensive⁤ understanding of ‍a subject, showcasing their expertise to ⁣instructors or potential‍ employers.
• Time-Consuming: Writing⁤ an extremely long essay can​ be time-consuming, requiring‌ hours of research‌ and ⁤writing to complete.
• Difficulty in ⁢Maintaining Focus: ⁢ Staying focused ⁢on⁤ a long essay can ⁣be ⁣challenging, leading‌ to potential⁣ loss ⁤of clarity ​and coherence⁤ in the writing.
• Reader Fatigue: Extremely long essays run the risk of overwhelming readers, who may struggle ⁢to stay engaged with ‍the ‌content from start to finish.

When embarking on ⁢lengthy essay⁢ projects, writers often face challenges such as writer’s ⁤block,‌ time management, and maintaining ‌motivation⁣ throughout‍ the process.⁤ Here are⁢ some key pieces ⁣of advice‍ for writers tackling extensive writing assignments:

• Break it ⁣down: Divide the essay into smaller, manageable sections to⁢ make‌ the task⁤ less ‌daunting.⁢ Set deadlines ‌for ⁢each section ​to‍ stay on track and maintain momentum.
• Research⁤ extensively: Take the⁢ time to gather‌ a⁢ wealth of information on ⁣the⁢ topic to ensure ⁤a well-rounded and thorough ‍analysis‍ in⁢ the essay.
• Stay organized: ‍ Use tools like outlines,⁢ mind⁤ maps, or project management software to ​keep track of research, sources, and ideas.
• Seek feedback: Share your work with peers, professors, ​or writing mentors ⁢to‌ gain valuable insights and‌ improve​ the overall quality ⁢of the essay.

There is no limit to ⁢the potential of breaking records⁣ in ⁣the world ⁢of essay⁤ writing. ‍The⁢ idea of pushing boundaries and exploring ‍new horizons is what drives writers ‌to create⁣ essays‍ that are⁤ longer, more‌ detailed, and more‌ innovative than ever before.

When we talk about ⁣the longest essay ever written, ‌we think‍ of works⁢ that have ⁤tested⁣ the ⁤limits of human endurance and ‌intellect. ⁤These essays ⁤go beyond the traditional confines of word ⁣count​ and delve‍ into⁢ uncharted territories of research, analysis, and ⁤creativity.

With advancements in technology and the endless resources available online, writers have ‌more tools at their disposal than ever before.⁣ This opens up a world of possibilities ⁣for creating essays that break records and ​set new standards for the future.

As ⁢we continue to push the boundaries of⁣ what ⁤is​ possible in the ‌world of essay writing, one thing ‌is certain: ‌the‍ potential for ⁤future record-breaking ⁣essays is limitless. With determination, creativity, and a willingness to⁢ explore new ‌ideas, writers can‍ continue to ⁢push the ‍boundaries of what is ‌considered possible in the world of written communication.

In conclusion,⁤ the longest essay‌ ever ⁣written is⁣ truly​ a ​remarkable ⁢feat ⁢of​ dedication and ⁤perseverance. By exploring the records, we can ⁤see‌ that ​there⁢ are individuals out there who have⁢ tackled‌ monumental​ writing projects with incredible⁢ passion and commitment. ⁣While​ the exact number of words may vary, one thing ‌is for certain – writing a ⁤long essay​ requires a ⁢great deal of skill, focus, and​ determination.‍

So,‌ whether you’re embarking on your own writing⁣ journey or simply curious about the ⁢limits ‌of human ‍expression, remember that the longest essay ⁤ever written ‌is a testament to the power of the​ written word. Keep pushing your boundaries, ⁤keep ‌expanding your‍ horizons, and ‍who​ knows – maybe one ⁤day⁤ your own work will be the subject of records and admiration. Thank you for joining us on this exploration, ⁣and ⁣happy writing!

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The World’s Longest Sentence

The majority of readers would concur that it sometimes takes more than one reading to fully understand an extremely long sentence in a book. Although there are many lengthy monologues and multi-line descriptions in literature, the chapter from American author William Faulkner ‘s 1936 novel Absalom, Absalom! that was recognised in the 1983 Guinness Book of World Records was the longest ever written.

1,288 words and many clauses make up the lengthy run-on phrase. Reading requires perseverance, but once you get into the flow, it’s like dipping into Faulkner’s stream of consciousness. Since then, hundreds of authors have been inspired by the experimental writer’s sentence structure, including James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Samuel Beckett, and other modern literature greats.

The complete phrase is as follows:

“The son of a father to whom history will accord certain attenuating circumstances, but also as worthy of esteem as that father had been of blame; possessing all private virtues and many public virtues; careful of his health, of his fortune, of his person, of his affairs, knowing the value of a minute and not always the value of a year; sober, serene, peaceable, patient; a good man and a good prince; sleeping with his wife, and having in his palace lackeys charged with the duty of showing the conjugal bed to the bourgeois, an ostentation of the regular sleeping-apartment which had become useful after the former illegitimate displays of the elder branch; knowing all the languages of Europe, and, what is more rare, all the languages of all interests, and speaking them; an admirable representative of the “middle class,” but outstripping it, and in every way greater than it; possessing excellent sense, while appreciating the blood from which he had sprung, counting most of all on his intrinsic worth, and, on the question of his race, very particular, declaring himself Orleans and not Bourbon; thoroughly the first Prince of the Blood Royal while he was still only a Serene Highness, but a frank bourgeois from the day he became king; diffuse in public, concise in private; reputed, but not proved to be a miser; at bottom, one of those economists who are readily prodigal at their own fancy or duty; lettered, but not very sensitive to letters; a gentleman, but not a chevalier; simple, calm, and strong; adored by his family and his household; a fascinating talker, an undeceived statesman, inwardly cold, dominated by immediate interest, always governing at the shortest range, incapable of rancor and of gratitude, making use without mercy of superiority on mediocrity, clever in getting parliamentary majorities to put in the wrong those mysterious unanimities which mutter dully under thrones; unreserved, sometimes imprudent in his lack of reserve, but with marvellous address in that imprudence; fertile in expedients, in countenances, in masks; making France fear Europe and Europe France! Incontestably fond of his country, but preferring his family; assuming more domination than authority and more authority than dignity, a disposition which has this unfortunate property, that as it turns everything to success, it admits of ruse and does not absolutely repudiate baseness, but which has this valuable side, that it preserves politics from violent shocks, the state from fractures, and society from catastrophes; minute, correct, vigilant, attentive, sagacious, indefatigable; contradicting himself at times and giving himself the lie; bold against Austria at Ancona, obstinate against England in Spain, bombarding Antwerp, and paying off Pritchard; singing the Marseillaise with conviction, inaccessible to despondency, to lassitude, to the taste for the beautiful and the ideal, to daring generosity, to Utopia, to chimeras, to wrath, to vanity, to fear; possessing all the forms of personal intrepidity; a general at Valmy; a soldier at Jemappes; attacked eight times by regicides and always smiling; brave as a grenadier, courageous as a thinker; uneasy only in the face of the chances of a European shaking up, and unfitted for great political adventures; always ready to risk his life, never his work; disguising his will in influence, in order that he might be obeyed as an intelligence rather than as a king; endowed with observation and not with divination; not very attentive to minds, but knowing men, that is to say requiring to see in order to judge; prompt and penetrating good sense, practical wisdom, easy speech, prodigious memory; drawing incessantly on this memory, his only point of resemblance with Caesar, Alexander, and Napoleon; knowing deeds, facts, details, dates, proper names, ignorant of   tendencies, passions, the diverse geniuses of the crowd, the interior aspirations, the hidden and obscure uprisings of souls, in a word, all that can be designated as the invisible currents of consciences; accepted by the surface, but little in accord with France lower down; extricating himself by dint of tact; governing too much and not enough; his own first minister; excellent at creating out of the pettiness of realities an obstacle to the immensity of ideas; mingling a genuine creative faculty of civilization, of order and organization, an indescribable spirit of proceedings and chicanery, the founder and lawyer of a dynasty; having something of Charlemagne and something of an attorney; in short, a lofty and original figure, a prince who understood how to create authority in spite of the uneasiness of France, and power in spite of the jealousy of Europe, — Louis Philippe will be classed among the eminent men of his century, and would be ranked among the most illustrious governors of history had he loved glory but a little, and if he had had the sentiment of what is great to the same degree as the feeling for what is useful.”

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12 of the Longest Words in the World, By Category

Antidisestablishmentarianism, everyone’s favorite agglutinative , entered the pop culture lexicon on August 17, 1955, when Gloria Lockerman, a 12-year-old girl from Baltimore, correctly spelled it on The $64,000 Question as millions of people watched from their living rooms. At 28 letters, the word—which is defined as a 19th-century British political movement that opposes proposals for the disestablishment of the Church of England—is still regarded as the longest non-medical, non-coined, nontechnical word in the English language (though according to Merriam-Webster, it’s rarely used outside of being "a really long word"). And it keeps some robust company. Here are some examples of the longest words by category.

1. Methionylthreonylthreonyglutaminylarginyl ... isoleucine

Note the ellipses. All told, the full chemical name for the human protein titin is 189,819 letters, and takes up to three-and-a-half hours to pronounce. The problem with including chemical names is that there’s essentially no limit to how long they can be. For example, naming a single molecule of DNA, with its millions and millions of repeating base pairs, could eventually tap out at well over 1 billion letters.

2. Nirantarāndhakāritā … lokān

According to Guinness World Records , the longest word in any language is a "compound 'word' of 195 Sanskrit characters (transliterating to 428 letters in the Roman alphabet) describing the region near Kanci, Tamil Nadu, India, which appears in a 16th-century work by Tirumalãmbã, Queen of Vijayangara.”

3. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

At 45 letters, this is the longest defined word you’ll find in a major dictionary. An inflated version of silicosis, this is the vaguely scientific-sounding name for a disease that causes inflammation in the lungs owing to the inhalation of very fine silica dust. Despite its inclusion in the dictionary, it’s generally considered superfluous, having been coined simply to claim the title of the longest English word.

While pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is often given as the longest word in a dictionary, it’s not that straightforward. As explained in a 1997 article by Darryl Francis in the journal Word Ways , dictionaries—especially the Oxford English Dictionary—have the defined words but also quotations to show usage. So the first entry under hamburger , for example, contains a 55-letter word, with nary a space in sight: “You are asked if you will have ‘porkchopbeefsteakhamandegghamburgersteakorliverandbacon.’” Allowing for any non-space punctuation, under the word journey there’s this behemoth from 1938: “feeling-upset-physically-and-mentally-with-anticipatory-excitement-and/or-anxiety”—71 letters (and some hyphens and a slash; but no spaces). Francis even points out that there’s a 100-character “word” hiding under lincomycin , but that’s a chemical name. The longest word in the dictionary is, therefore, somewhat open to interpretation.

4. Parastratiosphecomyia Stratioshecomyioides

The longest accepted animal binomial, at 42 letters, is a species of soldier fly native to Thailand. The name dwarfs the creature, which has a length of just over 10 millimeters.

5. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism

This 30-letter medical condition is the longest non-coined word to appear in a major dictionary.

More Articles Related to Words:

6. Floccinaucinihilipilification

By virtue of having one more letter than antidisestablishmentarianism , this is the longest non-technical English word. A mash-up of five Latin elements, it refers to the act of describing something as having little or no value. While it made the cut in the Oxford English Dictionary , Merriam-Webster volumes refuse to recognize it, chalking up its existence to little more than linguistic ephemera.

7. Subdermatoglyphic

At 17 characters, this is often considered the longest isogram , a word in which every letter is used only once, and refers to the underlying dermal matrix that determines the pattern formed by the whorls, arches, and ridges of our fingerprints. 

8. Squirrelled

Though the more commonly accepted American English version carries only one L , the version with two is fully accepted—and in some accents it’s pronounced as one-syllable, making it possibly the longest non-coined monosyllabic English word at 11 letters.

9. Transtendinous

Are you having a surgery that might involve going through the tendon ? Then you might hear the word transtendinous thrown around. Are you at a conference of lexicographers ? You might hear transtendinous thrown around as, at 14 letters, potentially the longest English word to use all five vowels in order exactly once. But as that word (and the equally 14-letter lamelligomphus , a dragonfly genus) has yet to enter the hallowed halls of the better dictionaries, you might be better off with the 12 letters of abstemiously and affectiously , both of which have a pleasing Y to round out the word (and a special shout out to uncomplimentary , which, at 15 letters, has all five—though not the Y —in reverse alphabetical order).

10. Tattarrattat

At 12 letters, this word—coined by James Joyce in Ulysses and meaning a knocking at the door—is likely the longest palindromic word in English. 

Joyce had a penchant for coining weird words that no one uses, so a better candidate for longest non-coined palindromic word in major dictionaries might be the nine-letter Malayalam , which is a Dravidian language spoken in parts of India. (A third candidate— detartrated —appears in some chemical glossaries and older food science publications , but is rarely included in dictionaries.)

11. and 12. Euouae and Psst

Euouae and psst are the longest words comprised entirely of either vowels or consonants appearing in a major dictionary. Euouae, a medieval musical term, is technically a mnemonic, but has been accepted as a word in itself.

As for longest without vowels, Guinness World Records gives the record for “ Longest word in the English language without any of the five main vowels ” as twyndyllyngs , the plural of an obscure 15th-century variant of an obscure now dialectical word meaning “twin.” But as American students learn, Y is sometimes a vowel.

Some argue cwtch ( cupboard/hiding place or a special hug ) or crwth ( a type of musical instrument ) hold the record, but in both of those, the W is taking the vowel role, as it can happily do in the Welsh both are loaned from. For something with neither a vowel letter nor a vowel sound , the best option is likely psst , which is a fully accepted word in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Austin Thompson contributed to this piece. A version of this story ran in 2016; it has been updated for 2022.

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What is the longest essay ever written in history?

Table of Contents

• 1 What is the longest essay ever written in history?
• 2 How many words does the longest essay have?
• 3 What is a 1000 word essay?
• 4 What is the longest story in the world?
• 5 How many pages is a 500-word essay?
• 6 What is the longest text ever?
• 7 What is the longest word in the world?
• 8 What is the longest word ever created?

David Perell on Twitter: “The essay is DONE. 16,000 words, which makes it one of the longest essays I’ve ever written.… “

How many words does the longest essay have?

Essay length guidelines

What’s the longest a college essay can be?

250 to 650 words Essays can be anywhere from 250 to 650 words total.” The shortest word limits for college essays are usually around 150 words (less than half a single-spaced page). Rarely will you see a word limit higher than around 650 words (over one single-spaced page).

What is a 1000 word essay?

A 1000 word essay is a paper written on your very own selected theme, composed in 1000 words. Usually, quantity of pages used in a 1000 word essay is four a4 sheets, not more, so perhaps a 1000 words paper isn’t as much as you think. 1000-word articles aren’t hard. A writer needs a strong subject and some arranging.

What is the longest story in the world?

The Guinness Book of World Records gives the honor to Marcel Proust’s elephantine Remembrance of Things Past, weighing in at 9,609,000 characters (including spaces).

What do 2000 words look like?

Answer: 2,000 words is 4 pages single-spaced or 8 pages double-spaced. Documents that typically contain 2,000 words include college essays, operating manuals, and longer form blog posts. A 2,000 word count will create about 4 pages single-spaced or 8 pages double-spaced when using normal margins (1″) and 12 pt.

How many pages is a 500-word essay?

2 PAGES How Many Words per Page?

What is the longest text ever?

What is the longest sentence written?

What is the longest word in the world?

What is the longest word ever created.

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How to write an introduction for a history essay

Every essay needs to begin with an introductory paragraph. It needs to be the first paragraph the marker reads.

While your introduction paragraph might be the first of the paragraphs you write, this is not the only way to do it.

You can choose to write your introduction after you have written the rest of your essay.

This way, you will know what you have argued, and this might make writing the introduction easier.

Either approach is fine. If you do write your introduction first, ensure that you go back and refine it once you have completed your essay. 

What is an ‘introduction paragraph’?

An introductory paragraph is a single paragraph at the start of your essay that prepares your reader for the argument you are going to make in your body paragraphs .

It should provide all of the necessary historical information about your topic and clearly state your argument so that by the end of the paragraph, the marker knows how you are going to structure the rest of your essay.

In general, you should never use quotes from sources in your introduction.

Introduction paragraph structure

While your introduction paragraph does not have to be as long as your body paragraphs , it does have a specific purpose, which you must fulfil.

A well-written introduction paragraph has the following four-part structure (summarised by the acronym BHES).

B – Background sentences

H – Hypothesis

E – Elaboration sentences

S - Signpost sentence

Each of these elements are explained in further detail, with examples, below:

1. Background sentences

The first two or three sentences of your introduction should provide a general introduction to the historical topic which your essay is about.

This is done so that when you state your hypothesis , your reader understands the specific point you are arguing about.

Background sentences explain the important historical period, dates, people, places, events and concepts that will be mentioned later in your essay.

This information should be drawn from your background research . 

Example background sentences:

Middle Ages (Year 8 Level)

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges.

WWI (Year 9 Level)

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe.

Civil Rights (Year 10 Level)

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success.

Ancient Rome (Year 11/12 Level)  

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times.

2. Hypothesis

Once you have provided historical context for your essay in your background sentences, you need to state your hypothesis .

A hypothesis is a single sentence that clearly states the argument that your essay will be proving in your body paragraphs .

A good hypothesis contains both the argument and the reasons in support of your argument. 

Example hypotheses:

Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery.

Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare.

The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1 st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state.

3. Elaboration sentences

Once you have stated your argument in your hypothesis , you need to provide particular information about how you’re going to prove your argument.

Your elaboration sentences should be one or two sentences that provide specific details about how you’re going to cover the argument in your three body paragraphs.

You might also briefly summarise two or three of your main points.

Finally, explain any important key words, phrases or concepts that you’ve used in your hypothesis, you’ll need to do this in your elaboration sentences.

Example elaboration sentences:

By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period.

Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined.

The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results.

While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period.

4. Signpost sentence

The final sentence of your introduction should prepare the reader for the topic of your first body paragraph.

The main purpose of this sentence is to provide cohesion between your introductory paragraph and you first body paragraph .

Therefore, a signpost sentence indicates where you will begin proving the argument that you set out in your hypothesis and usually states the importance of the first point that you’re about to make. 

Example signpost sentences:

The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20 th century.

The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

Putting it all together

Once you have written all four parts of the BHES structure, you should have a completed introduction paragraph.

In the examples above, we have shown each part separately. Below you will see the completed paragraphs so that you can appreciate what an introduction should look like.

Example introduction paragraphs: 

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges. Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies, but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery. By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period. The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe. Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare. Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined. The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success. The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results. The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20th century.

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times. Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state. While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period. The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

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The 10 longest novels ever written

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but how much is a million words worth?

The internet has officially destroyed everyone’s attention span; so much so that making it through a Spot The Dog book now requires a major feat of concentration.

So we dread to think how many people would be able to get through these monsters of prose; these titans of text. We list below the ten longest, most epic novels ever created.

Naturally, opinion is sometimes divided on how exactly to measure length - pages, words, or even characters, so it’s an approximate guide - however, if you ever manage to get all the way through even one of these, you have our eternal respect.

10. Ponniyin Selvan/The Son of Ponni

Author: Kalki Krishnamurthy

900,000 words/2,400 pages

Published in the 1950s and released in five volumes, this historical novel, originally written in Tamil, tells the story of Arulmozhivarman, one of the kings of the Chola Dynasty, which ruled in the 10th and 11th centuries. It took Krishnamurthy three years and six months to write - it would probably take us about the same time to read it (not withstanding having to learn a new language).

9. کلیدر/Kelidar

Author: Mahmoud Dowlatabadi

950,000 words/2,836 pages

A famous Persian novel, this was published in 1984 and tells the story of a Kurdish family in Sabzevar, Khorasan who face hostility from neighbouring visitors, set against a backdrop of the years following the Second World War; a turbulent era for Iranian politics. It took Dowlatabadi 15 years to write: thank God people liked it or that would have been a serious waste of time.

8. Joseph und seine Brüder/Joseph and his Brothers

Author: Thomas Mann

1,492 pages

Written by German Thomas Mann, this epic tome was published in the middle of the war, in 1943 in Sweden. The novel retells the famous stories of Genesis - from Jacob to Joseph - set within the historical context of the Amarna Period of Egyptian history (around 1300 BC). It took Mann 16 years to write the four parts that make up the whole - if only he’d decided to go the Lloyd-Webber routem write a few songs and turn it into a musical instead, he’d have made a lot more money.

Get our best stories straight to your inbox

Get exclusive shortlists, celebrity interviews and the best deals on the products you care about, straight to your inbox., 7. clarissa, or, the history of a young lady.

Author: Samuel Richardson

984,870 words/1,534 pages

An example of an epistolary novel - one written as a series of documents such as letters or diary entries - this huge book was published in 1748, telling a tragic story of a heroine constantly set back by her family. We’ll be honest: if we were going to read almost a million words, we’d probably appreciate a happy ending.

6. Min Kamp/My Struggle

Author: Karl Ove Knausgård

1,000,000 words/3,600 pages

Don’t worry, it’s not that book by a megalomanical Austrian, but in fact a series of six autobiographical books published between 2009 and 2011 by the Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård. They gained huge fame and notoriety due to the unflinching honesty and detail that Knausgård went into regarding his friends, family and the “banalities and humiliations of his life”; so much so that his wife suffered a nervous breakdown. To date it has sold over half a million copies in Norway alone - one for every nine people in the country.

5. Zettels Traum/Bottom’s Dream

Author: Arno Schmidt

1,100,000 words/1,536 pages/6,800,000 characters

Arno Schmidt, along with Hans Wollschläger, was tasked with translating the works of Edgar Allan Poe into German and, in the course of this, he decided to write a novel - about the problems of translating the works of Edgar Allan Poe into German. Well, they do say it’s always best to write about what you know.

READ MORE: The 20 best dystopian novels

4. Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften/The Man Without Qualities

Author: Robert Musil

The novel, written in three books, is a “story of ideas”, which takes place during the last days of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1913. A huge range of important human themes are explored: truth; opinion; society and ideas and, in many ways, it foresaw the problems that Europe would face after 1918. Unfortunately, the novel was never finished, as Musil died before its completion, having been unable to settle on an appropriate ending. He never saw fame or fortune with the book in his lifetime, despite spending 13 years of his life writing it. You’ve got to feel for the guy haven’t you?

3. Mission Earth

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

1,200,000 words/3,992 pages

Written as a ten-book series by the father of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, Mission Earth is a strange beast, billed as a “satirical science fiction adventure set in the far future”, but derided by critics and even banned in some places. The town of Dalton in Georgia tried to have it removed from its public library, claiming that it contained, “repeated passages involving chronic masochism, child abuse, homosexuality, necromancy, bloody murder, and other things that are anti-social, perverted, and anti-everything.” Nonetheless, all ten books were bestsellers. Some people will buy into anything, eh?

2. A la recherche du temps perdu/In Search of Lost Time

Author: Marcel Proust

1,267,069 words/3,031 pages/9,609,000 characters

Rated the longest novel ever by the Guinness Book of World Records , there’s no doubt that Proust’s masterpiece could quite easily double up as a mightily effective doorstop, with 13 volumes clocking up nearly 1.3 million words. Its theme of involuntary memory is repeated through the course of following the narrator’s life, from childhood to adulthood. Published between 1913 and 1927, it had a profound influence on many works that were to follow in the 20th century; it’s considered the definitive modern novel by many leading scholars. So, to summarise: really long, but really good.

1. Artamène/Cyrus the Great

Author: Georges de Scudéry/Madeleine de Scudéry

2,100,000 words/13,095 pages

In terms of pure word count, this 17th century novel obliterates the opposition, with a whopping 2.1 million words forming its ten volumes. The work is credited on the page to Georges de Scudéry, but is usually attributed to his sister Madeleine. The ultimate example of the roman héroïque form it is, essentially, a romantic novel, with endless twists to keep the suspense, and the action, going. Despite its gargantuan length, at the time it was hugely popular. However, it was not subsequently published again until an academic project was launched to make it available to read on the internet here . So what are you waiting for? Those 13,095 pages aren’t going to read themselves.

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What is the longest essay ever written and what was it about?

The longest essay ever written had 290,574 pages. Can you believe that? 10,000 pages

what is the most ridiculus thing you ever heard by mankind an how and when did he or she say it fshf h yuaaorgh oaihgoapirgh oaiurh eirugh oairugh oaign oierugh aoth owiueh OIRhg OIRgh OIhg ohg OIRUgh OIRgh OISRUgh IgGg hrgtdgthgydfgyub g ugfshfyusgh hfyufhegyftrnbuerfh iuwtrhvnweygtr giazuwgytfbizurhyf ouirhfvOEUrb oauweryb OWUtbiuy suzrysieugrytsiuegy gryiaegtrnyzsghtzsuyftryud tyfbuy tfuigfnbgtntyfntyfy fygfyy gfytfyfy gygfyfty ghbygtybfftrbtdfdytvgfnhgvb ygvfnugymnuvftmvyi vmiuygmigyubvmigyuvmniygvn8yt uygvnmyugm g8tyvg miyugm uyvgftyuftb tyfr uytgf nuygt

The longest essay ever written had 290574 pages, and was about the creation of sex.

Anonymous ∙

infinity!!!

It is the longest section of the essay?

most like the body is the longest

What is an ifnormal essay?

An informal essay is written for pleasure.

Change into passive voice Was an essay written by him last week?

change into active voice this essay was written by him

How is a speech least like an essay?

A speech is spoken, an essay is written.

Is supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus the longest word ever?

What is the longest essay ever written about.

The creation of sex

What is the longest book ever written?

THE LONGEST BOOK EVER WRITTENThe longest book ever written is called "Yongle Dadian". An enclyclopedia with 11,095 volumes and 22,877 chapters.

Should the body of your essay be the longest section of the essay?

What is the longest fictional book ever written.

Ron L hubbards book on sciencetology

How long is the longest long ever longest on the longest long?

The longest song ever in the USA was 75 minutes

What is the longest epic poem ever written?

The Mahabharata with 74,000 verses and about 1.8 million words. Written by Vyasa.

What is the longest musical opus ever written?

The longest musical opus ever written is considered to be &quot;Vexations&quot; by Erik Satie. It consists of a short piece of music that is intended to be repeated 840 times, which can take several hours to perform in its entirety.

Do you underline Facebook in an essay?

Don't ever use facebook in an essay!

What symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon?

Eroica, Symphony #3. At the time of its premiere it was the longest symphony ever written.

How long is the longest fingernails?

The longest fingernail ever was...

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What is the longest paper your high school student has written?

By history_junkie , December 4, 2012 in High School and Self-Education Board

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History_junkie.

I am a homeschool grad teaching in the homeschool community, and I'm just looking for some perspective. I am teaching a Rhetoric class and, while we have a lot of assignments, most of them are not very lengthy.

The longest paper I wrote was about 15 pages and that wasn't until my senior year. My husband wrote a 30 page thesis in his Honors level PS class.

What do you think is reasonable? How does that compare to the college experience you/ your dc had/anticipate?

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The longest my kids wrote in high school was ~5 pages or so.

At college no one could believe they hadn't written longer papers, but they did well and were able to overcome the lack of sufficient paper-writing in h.s.! :001_smile:

It probably didn't help their h.s. paper-writing that dh and I went to an engineering school -- until I wrote a thesis, I never had to write a paper onger than 5 pages! But my kids successfully wrote 15 page papers and theses, etc. Dd2 will continue the tradition of graduating not having written more than a 5-page paper!

Sunshine State Sue

In 10th grade, the longest paper ds wrote was a 10 page research paper (for Laurel Tree tutorials - highly recommend). 8-12 pages were required. Ds's had 3175 words.

In 11th grade, the longest paper ds has written so far was for CC Honors Composition 1. Required 700-1200 words. I'll have to see if I can find his paper.

I have a bachelor's in math and a master's in Industrial Engineering. I avoided writing like the plague all during high school, college, and grad school. Took the non-thesis grad option...

Harriet Vane

My longest paper in high school was a 12-page research paper my junior year.

I teach literature and writing now. My model in giving assignments was a teacher I had in high school for speech class. We gave sooooo many speeches that year. It was the very best way to make us comfortable with the process. Now, as a teacher myself, I require a ton of short essays with one or two longer papers (4-6 pages) per semester. A typical book might run like this:

Week one--Read a large assignment, taking notes on certain features as assigned. Their notes are highly informal, jotted quickly in short phrases so that their reading speed isn't slowed. Their notes almost always relate to a later essay assignment.

Week two--Finish the book if possible. (If not, there is an extra week built in similar to week one.) At this stage students will EITHER write a short essay (1-2 pages) that is lighter in nature, OR submit an outline for a longer paper (4+pages).

Week three--Final discussion on the book. Rough draft of long paper is due, OR a second, really short, light essay is due.

Week four--Start new book. If they are doing the longer paper, then the final draft is due this week. If they are doing a longer paper, often this week's reading assignment will be much, much shorter (poetry or a short story, or possibly just a shorter page count to read).

Doing it this way gives them experience in both a variety of short essays as well as in longer literature analysis. We also avoid a lot of insipid reading comprehension questions and busywork.

I should add, I also teach writing classes. For that, my students do the following:

--15 minutes daily writing. This is to both increase their ability to express themselves through writing and to practice specific skills (like writing a good introduction).

--2-3 page short essays all semester AND one longer paper each semester. First semester the long paper is a literary analysis; second semester the long paper is an 8-12 page research paper.

Vida Winter

Ten pages plus a few more pages for references, written for a Bravewriter class (research paper).

In 10th grade, the longest paper ds wrote was a 10 page research paper (for Laurel Tree tutorials - highly recommend).

Yes - my son did this in 9th grade, then in 11th he did at least one longer paper for AP Eng language class (can't remember the number of pages) and then graduated....He's in engineering now and doesn't write any papers.....

-15 minutes daily writing. This is to both increase their ability to express themselves through writing and to practice specific skills (like writing a good introduction).

Getting my dd to write is one of my difficulties - could I ask what your students write about each day? Do you have a list of topics? I just can't generate the ideas to motivate her to do this kind of daily writing - but it is very important for her to get that fluidity...and the practice of writing fast...

Thanks for all the replies! Any more??

I'm teaching a Rhetoric course, so my students write oodles of shorter assignments, but their longest paper is 12-15 pages. If they stick with the course sequence, they will not write a long paper in 12th grade, so my class is their last chance to practice writing a longer paper. I don't think it needs to be longer, but I do wonder if they should have some more 5-8 page papers throughout the year.

My son wrote a 10 page research paper his Sophomore year.

DD wrote a 22 pager her senior year. It was the necessary documentation on her research for a near-space weather balloon flight attempt.

That said, very, very few high schoolers ever produce a research paper. They write reports, maybe even long reports, but these are not research papers. Research papers require a more involved writing process and involve highly ordered thinking skills to pull together. These are normally skills taught at the college level in specific courses. Most freshman and even sophomore college level "papers" are merely reports with lots of documentation to make sure the student knows how to document properly. Unless the student is involved in research early on, they will not need this skill as a high school senior. What they do need are solid writing skills. If they've mastered the essay and report writing plus source documentation, they'll be fine. College professors and TA's will teach them how to write research papers.

If the student can manage 5-8 pages of solid content, well written and organized, with proper source documentation and can produce some good essays, everything will fall into place later. The single biggest problem most colleges face is that their incoming freshman cannot write good paragraphs, much less organize a report (not a book report, a scientific or historical report on a properly narrowed topic with five - ten reliable sources properly documented and end notes in their proper form WITHOUT plagerizing) or write a decent essay. So they have to teach high school level writing first in order to then teach college level writing.

Your student doesn't need to do a lot of report writing. However, what they do produce needs to be well organized. I give a LOT of coaching on the first two papers produced in high school and then slowly loosen then reins and see how they do on their own. Most of the papers are not for grade and have a tremendous number of rewrites with red ink all over the margins until they become accustomed to how to organize and express the content with relative ease.

I would not over burden young writers wth long writing assignments. Shorter bursts, lots of coaching, and provide them with many examples of excellence in writing. Look up award winning essays and papers on a variety of topics and have them read. Find some atrocious examples (you can get these from the AP website...look up some samples of say U.S History free writing and read ones that received high marks, medium marks, and low marks...the low marked ones are generally very, very poor....just wow....incoherent, unsupported, lacking content, grammatical errors every where, etc.) and discuss the differences. There are many sources online for good writing examples and I've had great success with being allowed to print these for ds.

Twenty pages? Not necessary at all.

It's very sad that so many "college writing" courses actually have to go back to "how to write a paragraph".

nancy in nj

The longest paper my daughter has written was a 12 page research paper for a Scholar's Online History class in 9th grade.

However, the most challenging paper she has ever written was her 1,500 word limit entry (about 6 pages) for the National Peace Essay Contest as part of her Junior Year AP English Language class with PA Homeschoolers. Her first draft (and most of her classmates) was in the 2,200 to 2,400 range which was the "natural" range given the complexity of the assignment. Editing that paper and scrutinizing the necessity of every single word had a significant impact on my daughter's writing.

I would highly recommend a single 5-6 page paper on a complex topic with a tight word limit!

DD wrote a 22 pager her senior year. It was the necessary documentation on her research for a near-space weather balloon flight attempt.   That said, very, very few high schoolers ever produce a research paper. They write reports, maybe even long reports, but these are not research papers. Research papers require a more involved writing process and involve highly ordered thinking skills to pull together. These are normally skills taught at the college level in specific courses. Most freshman and even sophomore college level "papers" are merely reports with lots of documentation to make sure the student knows how to document properly. Unless the student is involved in research early on, they will not need this skill as a high school senior. What they do need are solid writing skills. If they've mastered the essay and report writing plus source documentation, they'll be fine. College professors and TA's will teach them how to write research papers.     It's very sad that so many "college writing" courses actually have to go back to "how to write a paragraph".  

That's interesting, because I was expected to know how to research in my college history classes, and the professors absolutely did not take the time to walk us through the process. My students are certainly not producing original research, but I am requiring them to stick to a defensible thesis and steer clear of the report. I know they can report, and I could too, but that wasn't enough for me.

I worked as a grader for a variety of freshmen classes, and I was appalled at the number of students who needed instruction on "how to write a paragraph" and "how to draw a conclusion."

That's interesting, because I was expected to know how to research in my college history classes, and the professors absolutely did not take the time to walk us through the process. My students are certainly not producing original research, but I am requiring them to stick to a defensible thesis and steer clear of the report. I know they can report, and I could too, but that wasn't enough for me.  

Hi, I think this is just a difference in how we define research. A defensible thesis at our house and at my alma mater in longer form was pretty much a very long persuasive essay, so to speak. Research writing, on the other hand, was a very complex level of documentation that included the supporting data for one's original research project approved by faculty and overseen by a faculty advisor - these papers were presented to the faculty of the entire department at the end of term and included oral questioning in which one had to defend one's paper. Since we are a very heavily science oriented house, I forget sometimes that others are referring to a very different thing when they say "research paper" and due to the nature of the research our kids do in their senior year, they also are subject to producing a research project in science with technical writing and oral defense. That's not the norm for most high schoolers and even in classical academies. It's just something we do and sometimes I forget that when others say "research" they mean something very different from what dh and I term "research" and what that meant at our alma mater where very complex research projects began the freshman year so we were definitely taught HOW to accomplish this and document it by faculty advisors or no one would have survived to their sophomore year.

Our rocket team writes a research paper and presentation each year. It looks nothing like a defensible thesis per se. Charts, graphs, data collection, proof of authenticity, supporting documents, documentation of research process and experimentation, elimination of variables, outside verification, etc. These are engineering papers and so highly technical and take a specialized form. That's the kind of animal I am referring to and for learning to write persuasively we pretty much stick to 1-3 page essays here.

So, sorry for the lack of explanation. When people say, "research" this is where my brain goes - to a very technical place. :D

    Hi, I think this is just a difference in how we define research. A defensible thesis at our house and at my alma mater in longer form was pretty much a very long persuasive essay, so to speak. Research writing, on the other hand, was a very complex level of documentation that included the supporting data for one's original research project approved by faculty and overseen by a faculty advisor - these papers were presented to the faculty of the entire department at the end of term and included oral questioning in which one had to defend one's paper. Since we are a very heavily science oriented house, I forget sometimes that others are referring to a very different thing when they say "research paper" and due to the nature of the research our kids do in their senior year, they also are subject to producing a research project in science with technical writing and oral defense. That's not the norm for most high schoolers and even in classical academies. It's just something we do and sometimes I forget that when others say "research" they mean something very different from what dh and I term "research" and what that meant at our alma mater where very complex research projects began the freshman year so we were definitely taught HOW to accomplish this and document it by faculty advisors or no one would have survived to their sophomore year.  

Thanks for the distinction. But, see, you've helped me a lot. Several of my students want to go into medical or science fields, so this is useful info for me to pass along to them. I don't have the science back ground to teach that sort of research paper, but if they can't handle my humanities research paper, they should rethink their career goals.

I wrote a 10 or 12 page paper for AP English but I had to do a 20 page paper with citations for AP Biology.

Laura Corin

For the IB, Calvin has to write an extended essay of about 4,000 words. So far, his longest has been more like 2,000.

In her senior year, my daughter wrote a 15-page history paper and an 18-page law and society paper. She's a first-year history major and so far has written one 8-10 page and one 15-20 page papers in college. She felt well-prepared.

So far, my sophomore hasn't written more than 5-6 pages.

In 8th grade, yes 8th grade , I wrote a 16 page paper (although double spaced). That was our research paper and it was a private school. During 7th & 8th grade we had to turn in 5 pages a week and 5 finished pieces every quarter that had to be at least 5 pages long each. Someone on another forum recognized this as some sort of specific schooling theory. I can't say what it is but I will say that it sure worked for me!

Then I went to public high school and my senior AP English research paper only had to be 6 pages long and had less requirements than the 8th grade paper.

Needless to say it was that 8th grade paper (and all the other writing in junior high) that prepared me for college. I did not graduate but I did 3 years as a BS major in meteorology and there were several papers we were required to write. I think I would have failed miserably if I'd only had what I learned in high school to fall back on.

My oldest is only in 3rd grade and has dysgraphia so I can't say just how much writing we'll do when it comes to junior high and high school but I do know we'll have a focus on it for sure.

Hi, I think this is just a difference in how we define research. A defensible thesis at our house and at my alma mater in longer form was pretty much a very long persuasive essay, so to speak. Research writing, on the other hand, was a very complex level of documentation that included the supporting data for one's original research project approved by faculty and overseen by a faculty advisor - these papers were presented to the faculty of the entire department at the end of term and included oral questioning in which one had to defend one's paper. Since we are a very heavily science oriented house, I forget sometimes that others are referring to a very different thing when they say "research paper" and due to the nature of the research our kids do in their senior year, they also are subject to producing a research project in science with technical writing and oral defense  

Thanks for pointing out this crucial difference.

When our science students do research , that means they are doing original work and find out things that are not yet documented elsewhere in literature. They are not merely researching what other people have written about a topic - that would be the step they have to perform before they can begin their own work.

What is called a "research paper" in high school is usually something where the student collects (and cites) information from a variety of sources, without doing any own original work, but merely synthesizes, summarizes, or interprets the findings of others.

  What is called a "research paper" in high school is usually something where the student collects (and cites) information from a variety of sources, without doing any own original work, but merely synthesizes, summarizes, or interprets the findings of others.  

I agree, and this is what I do mean by a humanities research paper.

I never had to write more than 2-3 handwritten pages in school. Nothing in college - I was a physics major, and we did not have to take any humanities.

My first longer paper was my 60 page Master thesis; my second paper my 100+ page dissertation.

My kids have never written more than 4 pages. I do not think writing longer papers is any harder than writing short papers; in fact, I believe the opposite is true.

Ds wrote a 10 page paper his freshman year. The longest so far this year is about 5, but I don't know if I'll assign a 10 page in the spring yet. The longest I wrote in high school was 10 pages and I only remember writing one longer than that in college.

I have never done original research which led to a paper. They were all humanities style research papers as defined above.

  My kids have never written more than 4 pages. I do not think writing longer papers is any harder than writing short papers; in fact, I believe the opposite is true.

I think this entirely depends on the person and their strengths. I can write short (4-5) page papers easily, but I am always under or just meeting the length requirements. I'm a very succinct writer, so longer papers required me to form more conclusions and engage more deeply with the material.

I think it depends also a lot on the field . In my field, the hardest papers are the "letters" where the journal limits the length to four journal pages, including all equations and figures. We all find it much easier to write a full length paper of 10+ printed pages, because that enables the writer to give a more thorough introduction into the background, cite more relevant literature, and present and discuss more of the vast amount of data one has created. Making the four page paper interesting and understandable while presenting a substantial amount of new data is extremely difficult. (Which is why our grad students begin by writing long papers; only a very advanced student will be allowed to attempt the more difficult short ones.)

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23 Nov 2022

Epic novels, such as Leo Tolstoy’s famously long War and Peace, can be both a fascinating read and a great achievement, though many would perhaps think twice before embarking on some of the absolute longest books in history.

Naturally debates arise over how exactly to measure a novel’s length, whether that’s through the number of pages or words written, the total number of characters used, or whether it can be made up of multiple volumes that still count as one book. However, according to the Guinness World Records, A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust is officially the longest book in the world.

Here we take a closer look at Marcel Proust’s tremendous tome.

A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust

Despite being split into multiple volumes, Marcel Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu  is considered the longest novel ever published. Its title translates to Remembrance of Things Past (first translated into English as  In Search of Lost Time ) and contains nearly 1.3 million words with an estimated 9,609,000 characters. Each letter is counted as one character, and spaces are also counted as one character each.

The book also contains some long sentences – the longest being 958 words. This extreme sentence style is considered as Proust writing the task of thinking things through.

It’s obviously hard to summarise a book such as A la recherche du temps perdu,  but essentially the book tells the story of Proust’s life and self-discovery, following the narrator’s recollections of childhood and his experiences growing up and falling in love in late 19th century and early 20th century high-society France, while reflecting on the loss of time and the pursuit of truth and meaning in the world.

Élisabeth, Countess Greffulhe (1905) by Philip de László, served as the model for the character of the Duchesse de Guermantes

Image Credit: Philip Alexius de Laszlo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Its contemplations on the transcendental potential of art, time, involuntary memory, self and loss means the work is often viewed as one of the seminal works of the 20th century. The mixture of high social comedy, formative years’ experiences and philosophy also covers subjects including class, homosexuality, antisemitism, psychology, botany and the sociopolitical shifts in postwar France after World War One .

The novel centres on the story of a man (potentially called Marcel) who is prone to obsessive love. He is a social climber in a district of Paris synonymous with nobility and high society. His gradual realisation that his own experience might be redeemed by translation into art becomes the subject of a book that unfolds at the pace of life.

One of the most renowned parts of the book is its take on involuntary memory with ‘the madeleine incident’, in which a memory of the protagonist’s childhood is conjured-up by the taste of a small cake dipped in lime-blossom tea. Such sensory memories are indicative of Proust’s artistic writing style.

Publication

Begun in 1909, when he was aged 38 years old, Proust finished the first volume of his masterpiece in 1912. He used his own money to have the first volume released by the Grasset publishing house in 1913 after receiving rejections from other publishers and editors. At this time, Proust planned only two further volumes.

Initially Proust paid critics to speak favourably about the book, but the second part of his work won international awards as soon as it was published.

Despite establishing the structure early on, even after volumes were initially finished, Proust continued to add new material. During the war years especially, he revised the remainder of his novel, enriching and deepening its feeling and construction, enhancing the realistic and satirical elements of his tale. This tripled its length.

Between 1913 and 1927 the full 7 volume novel was published, volume by volume. Living much of his later life as a reclusive semi-invalid in a sound-proofed flat in Paris, Proust gave himself over entirely to writing his masterpiece. The last 3 of the 7 volumes contain oversights and fragmentary or unpolished passages, as they existed only in draft form at the time of Proust’s death in November 1922. These were published posthumously, edited by his brother Robert.

Translations

The book was translated into English by C. K. Scott Moncrieff, appearing under the title  Remembrance of Things Past between 1922 and 1931. Scott Moncrieff translated volumes 1 to 6 of the 7 overall volumes. He died before completing the last volume, which was then rendered by other translators at different times. When Scott Moncrieff’s translation was later revised (first by Terence Kilmartin, then by D. J. Enright) the title of the novel was changed to the more literal In Search of Lost Time .

C. K. Scott Moncrieff painted by Edward Stanley Mercer (1889–1932)

Image Credit: Edward Stanley Mercer (1889–1932), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

C. K. Scott Moncrieff’s famous translation from the 1920s is today regarded as a classic in its own right, and is now available in three volumes in Penguin Classics.

In 1995 Penguin undertook a fresh translation of the book by editor Christopher Prendergast and 7 translators in 3 countries, based on the latest, most complete and authoritative French text. Its 6 volumes (comprising all of Proust’s 7 volumes), were published in Britain in 2002.

Critical acclaim

In addition to being seen as one of the most profound achievements of the human imagination, this huge and complex book also paints a comic portrait of France during Proust’s lifetime, and the striking characters of the novel loom large, such as Charles Swann and Odette de Crécy, Baron de Charlus, Morel, the Duchesse de Guermantes and Françoise, Saint-Loup.

A la recherche du temps perdu is considered by many critics to be the definitive modern novel, and it had a large impact on many subsequent writers such as Virginia Woolf and Samuel Beckett. Even Marilyn Monroe was said to have 5 volumes of the book on her shelves and Sean Connery was said to also be a fan. Whilst some famous writers have conversely found the work dull, nevertheless, the novel had great influence on 20th century literature, and has been emulated and parodied ever since.

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Pamela Paul

Here Is the Missing Context in Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘The Message’

By Pamela Paul

Opinion Columnist

Why did pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University chant “N.Y.P.D., K.K.K.” and the Movement for Black Lives demand “an immediate end to Israel’s lethal settler-colonial project”? And how did the tables turn so quickly on Israel — even before its military retaliation — after Hamas attacked it on Oct. 7?

If the answers to these questions elude you, it’s worth reading two short new books.

You’ve probably heard about one of them, “ The Message ” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which came out this month and is already a best seller. Coates, the prizewinning author of “Between the World and Me,” is a writer who, fittingly for someone who has written numerous Black Panther comics, has achieved superhero status on the left.

The other book, “ On Settler Colonialism : Ideology, Violence, and Justice,” by the poet and critic Adam Kirsch, has received far less fanfare. While Coates’s book captures the moral conviction behind the pro-Palestinian movement, Kirsch’s explains how its underlying ideology took root in elite circles over two decades only to explode into the public sphere on Oct. 7.

“For many academics and activists, describing Israel as a settler-colonial state was a sufficient justification for the Hamas attack,” Kirsch writes, “because for them the term encapsulates a whole series of ideological convictions — about Israel and Palestine, but also about history and many social and political issues, from the environment to gender to capitalism. Indeed, it’s impossible to understand progressive politics today without grasping the idea of settler colonialism and the worldview that derives from it.”

Insofar as college students read at all these days, “The Message” is likely to reach many. But if schools were to assign one book this academic year, I’d recommend Kirsch’s — even if only for context.

Context is precisely what critics of “The Message” have found lacking. The book consists of four essays, including ones about trips to Senegal and to a school district in South Carolina where “Between the World and Me” has been banned. But its longest section, on Israel and Palestine, has attracted the most negative attention, in particular because it leaves out any mention of the suicide bombings of the second intifada , Hamas or Oct. 7 .

These omissions, as well as the absence of a contemporary pro-Israeli perspective, are a conscious choice on Coates’s part. He has no desire, he writes, to “hear both sides” — “no matter how politely articulated, no matter how elegantly crafted.” As he puts it, “My frame excluded any defense of the patently immoral.”

“On Settler Colonialism” makes the reasons behind this refusal clear. As Kirsch defines it, settler colonialist theory holds that any state that is created against the will of the people previously living there is permanently illegitimate; no argument can counter that basic fact. The throughline Coates draws in “The Message” from Senegal to American slavery to Trump’s America to Israel belongs to the same school of thought that ties America’s conquest of its Native American population to imperial efforts to subjugate Indigenous populations worldwide. According to settler colonialist theory, “colonial America” refers not only to the 18th century, but also to Americans living on Indigenous land today.

From here, it’s just a small skip to the Middle East, where Israel is cast in the role of colonial settler and Palestinians are the oppressed. In this reading of history, “occupation” doesn’t refer merely to right-wing settlers in the West Bank, but to Israel’s very existence.

Such an interpretation lends itself to a stark moral divide. In Coates’s rendition, for Israelis, Palestinians are “savage Nazis, third-world barbarians embodying the depraved native in the colonial mind. The Aztec. The Indian. The Zulu. The Arab.” Between a Black American like himself and the Palestinians, Coates sees “the warmth of solidarity, of ‘conquered peoples,’ as one of my comrades put it, finding each other across the chasm of oceans and experience.”

On this side of the ocean, settler colonialist theory easily found purchase amid a curriculum in which dates and events have been de-emphasized in favor of more theoretical approaches to understanding the past. History majors can now specialize in thematic frameworks like Comparative Colonialism or Race and Ethnicity, for example, rather than Early European History or Modern Chinese History. As with the social sciences, this more ideological approach cherry-picks historical facts in the pursuit of an argument.

That doesn’t mean this approach lacks legitimate points. In “The Message,” for example, Coates describes the very real tension between the ideals of democracy, which rests on equality among diverse members of society, and the Jewish state of Israel, which privileges adherents of one religion over another.

But while he condemns the status quo, Coates never proposes an alternative. For an ostensibly progressive movement, the pro-Palestinian cause doesn’t specify what might constitute progress. As Kirsch notes, “For the ideology of settler colonialism, the impossibility of concretely imagining a decolonial future ought to serve as a warning sign.”

Herein lies the most dispiriting aspect of settler colonialist theory in practice. Activists and institutions can voice ever louder and longer land acknowledgments, but no one is seriously proposing returning the United States to Native Americans. Similarly, if “From the river to the sea” is taken literally, where does that leave Israeli Jews, many of whom were exiled not only from Europe and Russia, but also from surrounding Muslim states? The ideology of settler colonialism offers little beyond a hopeless impasse, that “history is evil and deserves to be repealed,” Kirsch says, or what he calls a “longing for redemptive destruction.”

In their mutual resistance to an end game, an ironic parallel emerges between the “free Palestine” movement and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has declined to offer a viable plan for how the current conflict ends. It may be that neither side can find a realistic solution that can claim pure justice. What remains, in its absence, are vengeance and despair.

Source photographs by jeff1farmer and TPopova/Getty Images

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Pamela Paul is an Opinion columnist at The Times, writing about culture, politics, ideas and the way we live now.