Gadsby

Gadsby is a 1939 lipogrammatic novel by American writer Ernest Vincent Wright. It is notable for being written without the letter e, one of the most common letters in English. The work is long, roughly fifty thousand words, and is often cited as a pioneering example of constrained writing in English.

Plot and setting: The narrative centers on the eponymous Gadsby, a citizen of an unnamed town, as he goes about daily life, social interactions, and civic duties. The plot follows ordinary, human-scale concerns and aims to present a vivid portrayal of a community through the lens of its titular character.

Language and constraints: Wright crafted the book to avoid the letter e throughout, a feat that required extensive paraphrasing, inventive vocabulary, and careful phrasing. The constraint shapes the tone and pacing, producing a distinctive, sometimes archaic or unusual diction as the author navigates everyday topics without using the most common vowel.

Publication and reception: First published in 1939, Gadsby attracted interest primarily among readers and scholars of linguistic experimentation rather than broad commercial success. It is frequently discussed in the context of constrained writing and lipograms, and it is noted for prefiguring later works in which authors omit or restrict common letters. The book also stands alongside Georges Perec’s La Disparition as a landmark English-language and cross-language example of lipogrammatic technique.

Legacy: Gadsby remains a reference point in studies of linguistic constraint and experimental literature. It has inspired discussions of how form can shape content and has encouraged subsequent writers to experiment with English lipograms and other verbal games.