Fiction in Verse

 

A verse novel (fiction in verse) is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voices, dialogue, narration, description, and action in a novelistic manner.

The word verse is derived from the Latin versus meaning row, specifically a line of writing which turns to begin another line. Versus comes originally from the Latin vertere which means to turn. Verse now means a line of words written according to the recognized rules of prose to form a complete metered line, or poetry. This meaning has been in usage since c900.

The word novel comes from the Latin novella which means the new shoot of a plant. As a young plant grows and adds girth, so has the meaning of the word novel. By 1450 the word came to mean something “new”, or “the news.” By the 1500s, novel meant a larger collection of “news” in the manner of stories or fables. The more modern definition became the common usage in the 1700s, “A long fictional prose narrative, usually filling one or more volumes and typically representing character and action with some degree of realism and complexity; a book containing such a narrative.”

The verse novel is a fairly recent development in young adult literature, although long poems for teaching children moral messages were common in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The verse novel is more than a long poem. It is a conscious use of the verse form to tell a story with the length and complexity of a novel. Karen Hesse and Virginia Euwer Wolff were among the first young adult authors to gain critical acclaim for their verse novels in the 1990s. Since the turn of the 21st century this genre has grown in popularity.

Examples of Fiction in Verse

Example 1
Out of The Dust (by Karen Hesse)

It is the story of a young teenage girl living in the Midwest in the 1930s during the drought referred to as the Dust Bowl. The central emotional event in this story is a tragic fire that takes the life of her mother and unborn sibling. Hesse gracefully uses poetic devices to tell the story in the voice of Billie Jo. In this section she describes what it is like to be in a classroom taking a test during a dust storm:

Tested by Dust

While we sat
taking our six-weeks test,
the wind rose
and the sand blew
right through the cracks in the schoolhouse wall,
right through the gaps around the window glass,
and by the time the tests were done,
each and every one of us
was coughing pretty good and we all
needed a bath.

I hope we get bonus points
for testing in a dust storm.

Example 2
Love That Dog (by Sharon Creech)

Love That Dog shows how one boy named Jack finds his voice with the help of a teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper, and of course, a dog. Written as a series of free-verse poems from Jack’s point of view, and with classic poetry included in the back matter, this novel is perfect for kids and teachers, too.

Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, won’t stop giving her class poetry assignments—and Jack can’t avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns that he does have something to say.

SEPTEMBER 27

I don’t understand
the poem about
the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
and why so much
depends upon
them.
If that is a poem
about the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
then any words
can be a poem.
You’ve just got to
make
short
lines.

The unique structure of the verse novel demands more active reading. The condensed word choice—the lack of excessive description and narration—allows the reader to fill in the blanks. The verse novel is a developing genre that has potential for experimentation. When well done it can have both the expressive language of poetry and a compelling story with developed characters that we expect from an engaging novel.

Characteristics of Fiction in Verse

Hybrid Form

A series of short, individual poems linked by topic, character, and plot.

Story

In order to develop the narrative line, the reader is encouraged to proceed in a linear fashion, much like one would read a book of prose.

Meter and Rhythm

Attention to pattern in sound and the arrangement of words is important, whether the writing is patterned after everyday speech or formal poetry.

White Space

Reader is left room to fill in the space on the page with association or his/her own creation.

Chronological Organization

Reader is encouraged to move sequentially through the text, rather than skip around.

Intense Internal Focus

The action centers on an emotional event, and the rest of the novel deals with the characters’ feelings before and after.