Wednesday, July 31, 2019

POLYSEMOUS POLYGRAPHY

Consider the sentence:

As Violet sat by the bank, after her trip over the spring, she saw the jam she had made for herself from the dates with her contemplative pupil.

This sentence contains at least 64 different narratives, depending on one of two meanings for the six words: bank, trip, spring, jam, dates, and pupil. (2^6 = 64) Every reading is coherent. 

As Violet sat by the bank (building or slope), after her trip (voyage or tumble) over the spring (season or aquifer), she saw the jam (problem or condiment) she had made for herself from the dates (trysts or fruit) with her contemplative pupil (student or inner-eye).

Call this Oulipian method of composition Polysemous Polygraphy.