Anyone know of an example of episodic writing? I don't feel I have a clear meaning of exactly what it is, I've read about it, but I cant seem to find a source that satisfies the definition for me. An example would be great, but episodic writing would be rejected for publishing, so I don't know where to look for one. When I say episodic, I am not talking about episodes, like in a TV sitcom. I'm talking about a "goes nowhere" or wandering storyline. Thx!
Jaan Kross' "The Conspiracy & Other Stories" is a good example of episodic fiction. "Cruelties" by Lise Bissonnette is a collection of short stories that are kind of episodic. Ditto for W.G. Sebald's "The Emigrants". Maybe "Delta of Venus", too. Kind of. I saw this on About.com: Definition: An episodic novel is a narrative composed of loosely connected incidents, each one more or less self-contained, often connected by a central character or characters. It is one way of constructing a plot. Examples: Both Fielding's "The History of Tom Jones" and Pynchon's "V." are examples of episodic novels. So the plot doesn't have to "go nowhere". It's a really cool way of telling a story. I'm interested in trying my hand at it, too.
