A nonsensical abécédaire

[MarkEEaton]

My project is an abécédaire of nonsensical prose poems. I’m mining Project Gutenberg for sentences that are stacked with words starting with a given letter of the alphabet, and then mashing these together into one text for each letter. The resulting “novel” will be 26 prose poems themed around each letter. Hat tip to Christian Bök, who did something similar, but much more ambitious, in his book Eunoia.

It's already done! See it here: https://github.com/MarkEEaton/nanogenmo2021

And a blog post about the project: https://kingsboroughlibtech.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2021/06/17/nanogenmo-2021/

[MarkEEaton]

Here's a preview:

CHARLIE

     Here was a catastrophe! A carriage for me? Of course he isn't! You will
have to, for I'm not coming. Isn't that charming? He was close to you. That's
capital! How could he do it? But why all this concealment? was the command of
both. Why, how you have changed! And so of other and more complex cases. Could
we? That's a capitalistic crowd. Who's the captain here? But, of course, he
couldn't ask. Of course they hadn't. Clack! Which did they call you? What's the
cruise? Crabtown. he called cheerily. And did you come through the course
easily? With that the chums had to be content. Cut it! he called. No; of course
not. It came. How did it come out? chuckled the officer in charge.
     To be continued. Continued. To be continued. Call up to your mind what I
was, and what my circumstances were. I was at college. Who cares? she cried. To
be continued. It is not very clear to himself. I can't. they all cried. Ma and
the children have to be taken care of. she cried in a contrite voice. Why, it's
curly! Of course he was not. she called through the casement. Come in. Come in.
Why, Johnnie Consadine she cried. I've--Cassy. How does she come to be here with
a cap and apron on to-night? she called to him. Come here. Come, come, Lyd. You
can't come into Cottonville without crossing a stream. He wasn't crazy when he
come to the house. she cried. she cried out. She decided on a conservative
course. Culp's.
     Wonder could we catch up with them? The cabin came in sight. she cried.
The car! she cried. They're coming--they're coming. cried Beulah Catlett. We'll
have a truck-patch there, and a couple of cows and some chickens, she said. I
came on this here. It's company. Is he coming? When was he coming and what was
he coming for? You could construct the rest of him. he cried. she cried. He
called it croquette. Crops could not touch ours. To the city? Not cheff. You
too, certainly. Certainly. Certainly I have it. she cried. Cornish came to
supper. cried Cornish. Conceivably. So of course I came home. cried Cornish.
She'll catch it! The conductor looked curiously at her.

[hugovk]

It's good! Reminiscent of Alphabet Aerobics!

[MichaelPaulukonis]

Ooooooh!

I was thinking of something along the lines of A was an Apple Pie

"A was an Apple pie; B bit it; C cut it; D dealt it; E eat it; F fought for it; G got it; H had it; J joined it; K kept it; L longed for it; M mourned for it; N nodded at it; O opened it; P peeped in it; Q quartered it; R ran for it; S stole it; T took it; V viewed it; W wanted it; X, Y, Z, and ampersand, All wished for a piece in hand"

Each letter can be a noun or verb, subject or object. But keeping things semi-sensical is, as always, the problematic. And how to avoid the boredom of the small solution-spaces for Q X Y and Z?