Can you tell a whole story in one sentence? If we assume a fairly classic definition of story -- requiring character, conflict, and resolution -- than I would say yes, but it would either be a poor story or a really long and awkward sentence rather like this one.
Bob fell into a hole and climbed out. Technically that has character (Bob), conflict (fell into a hole), and resolution (climbed out.) But who cares? The reader has no idea who Bob is or why falling into a hole is bad, or what effort is required to escape. There are no stakes, no pressure.
Bob, an underpaid janitor, fell painfully into a hole and, afraid of being late to work and losing his lousy job and the ability to support his family, struggled valiantly until he was finally able to climb out. Really, I ask you: Does that really need to be all one sentence?
It is worth noting, however, how much a single, well-planned sentence can convey. Here's one from a song (for songs, like poetry, have to express a lot in a controlled amount of space) --
"If I had a dollar for every ace I've ever drawn, I could arm a town the size of Abilene."
It isn't a story. But it says a lot about how the character thinks. Personally, I don't normally think in terms of gambling and armaments, but the speaker here is clearly more of a scoundrel. And we get a geographic reference to boot.
I'm going to leave you with one more nice, expressive sentence, also from a song. See if it says anything to you.
"But you made one mistake my love, you did not kill us all."
1 comment:
This begs a reference to the [in]famous six-word Hemingway story:
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
Wired magazine offered this as a challenge to a selection of writers, and the results (seen here) are a mix of "stories" and merely intriguing sentences.
Whether Hemingway's example constitutes an actual story is a matter of much debate (and ultimately, it seems to me, a matter of opinion). Though it does not follow the traditional form (no less than, say, Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler follows the traditional form of a novel), it certainly carries an emotional impact, which is what many authorities say is the purpose of all art. Does the end justify the means?
That, too, seems largely a matter of opinion.
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