Brian Dillon's 'Suppose a Sentence' Explores Literary Love Through 27 Quotations

Brian Dillon's book 'Suppose a Sentence' presents 27 short analyses of sentences from diverse authors, treating each as an object of devotion. The work examines sentences ranging from John Donne to Fleur Jaeggy, displaying them like artifacts for dissection. Dillon approaches literary criticism with ghoulish enthusiasm, comparing it to anatomical study. Sentences unfold in time, creating meaning through reading processes that suspend readers between past and future. The book inherits Roland Barthes' attention to moments where one substance transforms into another. Dillon explores how sentences can fail, citing examples from Shakespeare's Hamlet and Rousseau's anecdote about a girl writing only 'O's. Anne Boyer counters Rousseau by suggesting the girl created her own language. Published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, the book frames sentences as persistent entities that escape their creators.