Punctuation as Art
This article is a literary meditation on punctuation, arguing that it is not merely a technical necessity but a central artistic force in fiction. Ariel Lewis traces her evolution from dismissing punctuation as trivial to appreciating it as crucial to narrative voice, rhythm, logic, and meaning, a discovery born from teaching grammar and deep reading of writers like Toni Morrison, Angela Carter, and John Edgar Wideman. Punctuation, Lewis says, is a living force in fiction. It encodes emotion, power, thought, and worldview, shaping how stories feel and what they mean. Engaging with punctuation artistically compels writers to understand the logic of their narratives and the inner lives of their characters, making it an essential tool for both technical craft and profound expression.