Did you know that Victor Hugo wrote a sentence that was 823 words long? Here are 5 intriguing literary facts for you
Literature is not only an important part of art, but of society and culture as well. It acts a medium to pass on knowledge from one generation to another in an artistic way. From Shakespeare’s plays to haiku poetry of Japan, its prolific variety has something in store for everyone. As readers, we often tend to read what’s written explicitly in the books. Little do we know that there is so much written in between the lines as well. Here are 10 intriguing literary facts that are sure to leave you astonished.
Leo Tolstoy’s famous ‘War and Peace’ would have been incomplete without his wife
Regarded as one of the central works of world literature, Tolstoy’s novel ‘War and Peace’, is one of the most read classic novels. However, not many know that his wife, Sophia Tolstoy had a significant role in its creation. She copied the 1400-word manuscript, not once, not twice but a whole seven times before Tolstoy considered it fully ready for publication. What make it even harder to believe is that she did so by hand!
Victor Hugo wrote a sentence that was 823 words long
French author Victor Hugo is well-known for his complex, yet articulate and incredibly detailed sentences. He took this to a whole different level in his seminal novel, ‘Les Misérables’. He wrote a sentence that was 823 words long- and is considered as the longest sentence ever printed in fiction! However, it takes up only 12% of the entire 655,4878-word novel.
Charles Dickens was superstitious when it came to his writing
Known world-over for his novels such as ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ amongst many others, not many know that he had a few staunch superstitions of his own. He was convinced that sleeping facing North would improve his writing. He made sure to always carry a compass with him during his travels to identify his lucky direction. Moreover, he also touched objects three times as he believed that would bring him luck.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ was banned in China
Although Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is much-loved around the world, it was banned in China in the year 1931. The then Governor of the Hunan province has of the opinion that animals should not be given the human power of language. According to him, to put animals on the same level as humans would be disastrous.
Roald Dahl’s unique job that inspired ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’
One of the world’s most-loved children’s author Roald Dahl had every child’s dream job when he was a school boy. He was a taste-tester for Cadbury’s chocolate. Many believe that his famous book with Charlie, Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas was inspired by this experience of his.