'Telling stories in verse is older than telling stories in prose, but narrative fiction in prose is what most readers expect from a novel. The verse novel, however, is increasingly visible in contemporary narrative fiction, arguably because of more titles written and published or better search devices making titles easier to identify and locate. Examining seven verse novels published between1945 and2007, this essay argues that ‘monumentalism’ may be a fitting description of the way that the specific matter at issue in these fictional works, individuals who are challenged by historical forces beyond their control, merges with the general attention-enhancing manner of verse composition.' (Author's abstract)
