Abstract
An author's punctuation, though easily neglected as a stylistic feature, contains valuable information about the process of writing prose. Earlier authors, in particular, punctuated according to sound as well as syntax. Quantitative measurement of the lengths of punctuated units (or “utterances”) reveals the prevailing patterns according to which an author segments a text. By this approach, the present paper aims at a first approximation of Hawthorne's fundamental generative unit above the lexical level. The study combines a computer analysis with close reading and limits its scope to eighteen of the short stories. The data indicate that Hawthorne works with a phrase-size unit of five to seven syllables and that rhythm is a strong factor in determining the linear arrangements of words in the text.
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