constrained
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Some authors impose experimental constraints on their writing in order to push the boundaries of their own creativity. Such constraints are common in poetry (rhyme is the most obvious); in fiction, experimental constraints may be as insidious as the exclusion of a particular word or letter, or as blatant as carving a new story from the words of an existing one.
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![<b><em>La disparition [A void]</em>, Georges Perec, 1969</b><br />The letter ‘e’ is entirely and deliberately absent from this story (both the original French and the translated English version) a technique known as ‘lipogram’. The book’s reputation (and blurb) warns of the absence, but otherwise, the reader may not even notice, though the prose’s jaunty rhythm seems to hint that something unusual is afoot. <br /><br />The first question usually asked of such a work is ‘why’? This is not a gimmick or a exercise in persistence; Perec has dabbled with many such techniques as a member of ‘Oulipo’: a group of writers who explore the potential of literature through imposed writing constraints. Perec suggests these techniques stimulate writerly inspiration; however, it is also intriguing to ponder what effect this subtle yet substantial absence has upon the reader.<br /><br />](/fryer/not_books/images/AVoid_0006_600s.png "La disparition [A Void] by Georges Perec")
items in this series
La disparition [A void], Georges Perec, 1969
A humument: a treated Victorian novel, Tom Phillips, 1980
Tree of codes, Jonathan Safran Foer, 2010
