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I find the use of long dashes instead of quotation marks very distracting. It takes me out of the story. Does anyone know why this punctuation choice was made?
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The Lincoln Highway,
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Karen
I noticed it, too, and gave the author credit for inventing a new & improved way of conveying a conversation. Sometimes it's a general summary of what was said, and sometimes more complete wording, but it works so well, and without the bothersome commas and open & close quotation marks. I enjoyed it.
Deb
I saw this answer from the author in a FAQ on his website
Why is the dialogue in the book indicated by em dashes rather than quotation marks?
In my first novel, Rules of Civility, I also used em dashes instead of quotation marks.
Quotation marks are designed to let an author insert little parenthetical observations or characterizations in the middle of dialogue:
“I knew your father well,” he said soberly, “back in the early days of the war…”
“Yes,” she said smoothing her skirt, “another cup of tea would be lovely…”
By eliminating the quotation marks in Rules, I was forced to abandon these little clarifications and write conversation in such a way that the dialogue would do most of the work on its own. I also think it resulted in exchanges with a sharper delivery and quicker pace.
It seemed natural to use them again in The Lincoln Highway for the same reasons.
Why is the dialogue in the book indicated by em dashes rather than quotation marks?
In my first novel, Rules of Civility, I also used em dashes instead of quotation marks.
Quotation marks are designed to let an author insert little parenthetical observations or characterizations in the middle of dialogue:
“I knew your father well,” he said soberly, “back in the early days of the war…”
“Yes,” she said smoothing her skirt, “another cup of tea would be lovely…”
By eliminating the quotation marks in Rules, I was forced to abandon these little clarifications and write conversation in such a way that the dialogue would do most of the work on its own. I also think it resulted in exchanges with a sharper delivery and quicker pace.
It seemed natural to use them again in The Lincoln Highway for the same reasons.
R G
I wonder if the author wanted to preserve the special place of contempt for the phony "Dennis". I haven't finished the book yet, but the author does give the reader a special feeling about "Dennis" simply by seeing his name in quotes all the time. That impact is stark because he never uses quotation marks around the dialogue.
Just Brian
- Today is Friday, said Billy
100% agree with Stephanie's view that it takes you out of the story. I absolutely hate this punctuation, or rather lack thereof. I'm only halfway through and still haven't gotten used to it. I hope I never run across this again.
I'm glad that others like it, but hey, different strokes said Brian.
100% agree with Stephanie's view that it takes you out of the story. I absolutely hate this punctuation, or rather lack thereof. I'm only halfway through and still haven't gotten used to it. I hope I never run across this again.
I'm glad that others like it, but hey, different strokes said Brian.
Linda Gaines
Lots of writers do this. It is not at all distracting to me.
Elizabeth
It was a tiny bit distracting at first, but I quickly got used to it.
I've seen this style used in French literature.
(I just did a search and learned that James Joyce used this technique as well):
I've seen this style used in French literature.
(I just did a search and learned that James Joyce used this technique as well):
—Damn me, said Mr. Dedalus frankly, if I know how you can smoke such villainous awful tobacco. It's like gunpowder, by God.
—It's very nice, Simon, replied the old man. Very cool and mollifying.
[- James Joyce, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"]
Jennifer
I thought it odd at first as well, but agree that it did work well and I thought made a faster read.
Louise
I like the dashes better. They make things flow better for the eyes and in turn for the story.
Lisa
I hated this punctuation style, and it distracted me too.
Cathie
I thought it would bother me, but it didn't. I thought it worked well.
Larry
It was annoying at first but you get used to it.
Rick
It isn't a new way of writing dialogue, but I do understand why people find it distracting. Quite a few authors have used this style. I think you get used to it after a while. The Lincoln Highway is such a great book!
Viktoriya Kokareva
That's interesting, I haven't even noticed it until this question. This is a classic dialogue punctuation for the Russian language, by the way (and many others). It is mostly used when an author tries to set an "outside" and "inside" worlds of the character separately.
Shani Gorman
I think it is more common in European books. I see it in French and Russian or the translations of European books
Benita Borrowman
I love how he uses the dashes. I write and I think it might be something I try.
Carmen
I had never even thought about NOT having quotation marks, but it really worked for me. Not surprising that it may have been inspired by James Joyce.
Robert Swanson
This didn't bother me at all. In fact, I found the dashes moved the conversation along.
Ed Bernard
You get used to it, I suppose, but I've never understood why authors do this. What is the positive value? Annoying to me, though the book is so stupendously great that nothing could ruin it for me
Kate Lange
I actually found it LESS distracting than quotation marks. It helped make the conversation flow more like real conversation.
Judith
Good writers are getting more creative with punctuation! They set up dialogue so it's obvious who's speaking & when it starts & stops, making quotation marks all over the place/and or dashes an unnecessary distraction! They are old school & it's a relief not to need he said/she said anymore.
Sanjuro
I'm not sure there is a "why." It's fairly common in literary fiction. I read enough literary fiction that I don't even notice it when writers do it, but for most writers I'm sure it's nothing more than a style choice.
Amanda Joyce Dies
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Sue
I noticed it right from the start...very distracting. I read a lot and have never seen it before.
Beebs
This is the first time I’ve seen dashes used instead of quotation marks and I didn’t like it.
Sanjuro
I'm not sure there is a "why." It's fairly common in literary fiction. I read enough literary fiction that I don't even notice it when writers do it, but for most writers I'm sure it's nothing more than a style choice.
Cindy
It didn't bother me at all.
Grace Carr
For some reason, I actually prefer that style to quotation marks. Sometimes I skim over quotes...at first the dash seemed strange, but I realized it didn't skim when it was used
Michael Anthony
This way of not using Quotation marks for speech is very annoying!! Reading an older novel by James McBride called Song Yet Sung, and it’s driving me crazy!! All my life basically I have read books with this type of punctuation! When it’s not printed with the quotation marks I may skip reading the book even if I want to!!
Jerilyn
I am reluctantly getting used to unconventional punctuation, as I encounter it more frequently. It was mostly fine in this book, but I did get confused a couple of times, thinking a character was still speaking aloud, when it would have been clearer if quotations had closed, then later reopened in the same paragraph.
Natasha
I found it distracting and confusing at times. There were some instances where I had to re-read the sentence as I didn't realize it was still dialogue, or didn't realize it wasn't anymore. It's fine for short dialogue sentences but when it continues after the "he said/she said" words there needs to be some kind of notice this is continued dialogue, and quotation marks work for this purpose.
Doris
No, but authors strive for individuality. It's human nature to want to stand out. While we are comfortable with convention we should not eschew a deviation. It's a small challenge that is probably good for us and helps us stay flexible.
Janet
I hate when authors do this, since I feel like it's lazy. Makes it easier for the writer, and harder for the reader, for no reason. And yes, it takes me out of the story. When I come across this cheat, I rarely finish the book, including this one.
Stupid Romance
I do not know whether all countries in Europe utilize dashes, but I know for a fact that a few do.
Karla
I'm fine with having another way to delimit a quotation. The leading em dash is certainly easier to see for these aging eyes of mine. I really like how their presence communicates to me that the whole paragraph is a quote without having to look to the end. I would like to see this style used more frequently.
Meg Lelvis
I found it distracting and annoying.
Machaela Schriner
I actually really liked this choice by the author, personally. I found it very easy to ready, visually and mentally intriguing, and a good approach to a dialogue-heavy book.
Cameron Mcconnell
I'm 100 pages in and just noticed it. No bother, but I was curious.
Renee Kahl
This is the norm in literature in Spanish; I don't know about other languages. Americans aren't used to it. I'm not sure if the author is making some point with it or not. Maybe to get us out of our box?
Thomas A. Coggins
Did not find it distracting and expected it after reading Civility. Works well, I think.
Rhonda Evans
It is used in Spanish literature so I was used to it and observed it, but didn't find it distracting at all.
Miriam Kahn
Towles adopts the contemporary European style of denoting dialogue by using hyphens instead of quotation marks. Most jarring and annoying for American readers. Towles did NOT invent this style of denoting dialogue.
Marija
I love this kind of punctuation--so much less cumbersome than all those quotation marks....And yes, I loved that "Dennis" was always in quotation marks, I could hear the intonation with these marks, used in this way, they said more than words could. Much more simple to read with dashes--to the point! Quick read and really enjoyable! Completely transported.
Jeremy
I noticed and liked it. IMHO
David
Not an issue with the audiobook. The narration is terrific!
Cynthia Siegler
I agree that lack of punctuation is fairly popular in modern fiction. I also agree that in certain books where you cannot keep track of the speakers, it gets confusing. Not so in this book, however. No one seems to recall or mention Woolly's aversion to punctuation. The author plays with his readers through the character's beliefs and preferences. Perhaps he wants us to agree with Woolly!
Tony Morrow
On the contrary, I found it rather refreshing along with the minimal use of "he said"/"she said" per the usual quotation style.
Darlis
The dashes rather than quotation marks make me wonder if this is a draft and his staff has not gotten around to doing the complete editing work.
Linda Kehm
I loved it--found it easy to read with the dashes+
Leslie K. Crouthamel
It didn't bother me at all. Amor is so creative!
Dree Hulsey
I thought it was a cleaner, tidier way to get dialogue across
Don Parkhurst
It's not that unusual. James Joyce used a similar technique, and so does Cormac McCarthy. I still found the dialogue easy to follow.
Dee
I liked it - sometimes the quotation marks are a distraction. I thought this was actually an improvement on the "flow!"
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