1,288-WORD-RUN-ON SENTENCE BREAKS RECORDS WHILE INSPIRING FUTURE WRITERS

The majority of readers would concur that it occasionally takes several readings to understand a lengthy sentence in a book. Although there are many examples of lengthy monologues and multi-line descriptions in literature, American author William Faulkner's lengthy section from his 1936 work Absalom, Absalom! was featured in the 1983 Guinness work of World Records.

Faulkner's run-on technique continues to influence postmodern fiction writers like John Barth, who once remarked, "It was Faulkner at his most involuted and incantatory who most enchanted me." The record holder for the longest English sentence is Jonathan Coe, with his astounding 33-page, 13,955-word sentence in The Rotter's Club, 2001. Although the record has been broken, Faulkner's legacy endures. The massive run-on sentence, with 1,288 words and innumerable clauses, requires patience to read, but once you get into the rhythm, it's like diving into his stream of consciousness.