Tropisms by Nathalie Sarraute

How hard is Tropisms to read?

Tropisms scores 77 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it very challenging. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 68 out of 100

Sarraute employs precise, often biological or physical metaphors such as 'tentacules,' 'larves,' and 'miasmes' to describe subtle psychological movements. While not archaic or invented, these words are used in an uncommon, specialized context, demanding careful interpretation beyond everyday usage. The vocabulary is more demanding than '2666' but lacks the extensive jargon of 'Moby-Dick'.

Sentence structure: 82 out of 100

The text features exceptionally long, cumulative sentences that build through extensive lists of reflexive verbs describing internal actions. This sustained hypotaxis, exemplified by sentences spanning dozens of clauses without clear breaks, creates a demanding, almost hypnotic rhythm. This complexity rivals the sustained grammatical demands found in 'Absalom, Absalom!' or 'In Search of Lost Time'.

Abstraction: 88 out of 100

'Tropisms' operates almost entirely on a philosophical and psychological plane, exploring abstract internal sensations and movements without a concrete narrative, characters, or setting. The text directly presents the amorphous nature of subconscious experience, requiring the reader to engage with pure conceptual content. This level of abstraction surpasses the philosophical debates in 'Brothers Karamazov' and approaches the existential focus of 'Waiting for Godot'.

Information density: 85 out of 100

The text is conceptually dense, packing numerous subtle psychological shifts and nuanced descriptions into each phrase. Without a traditional plot or external references, the reader's attention is solely focused on processing the intricate, shifting nature of these abstract internal states. This demands sustained, high-level engagement to grasp the continuous flow of complex conceptual information.

Narrative indirection: 90 out of 100

The text rarely states meaning directly, instead presenting fleeting, often abstract psychological movements and interactions that readers must infer. Sarraute eschews traditional plot and character, forcing the reader to construct emotional and relational dynamics from subtle implications and sensory details. This demands constant reader interpretation, akin to 'The Unnamable' where the very nature of reality and speaker is inferred.

Symbolic density: 85 out of 100

While not employing traditional allegorical symbols, 'Tropisms' operates almost entirely on a metaphorical plane where the 'tropisms' themselves are abstract representations of pre-verbal psychological movements. The language consistently pushes beyond literal description, using evocative imagery and sensory details to convey profound, often unsettling, internal states. This creates a dense layer of meaning where the text's primary function is to evoke these subtle, non-literal psychological realities.

Ironic distance: 20 out of 100

'Tropisms' maintains a largely detached, observational tone focused on the precise rendering of internal psychological phenomena without overt authorial irony. The text presents its abstract observations directly, seeking to illuminate subtle human interactions rather than satirize or critique them through a gap between stated and implied meaning. There is no significant ironic distance; the narrative voice is earnest in its experimental exploration.

Resolution withholding: 95 out of 100

The very structure of 'Tropisms' resists any form of narrative resolution, presenting a series of discrete, often abrupt vignettes that capture fleeting psychological moments. Each 'tropism' begins and ends without traditional plot development, character arcs, or explanatory closure, leaving the reader with an ongoing sense of ambiguity. The work offers no answers or finality, instead emphasizing the continuous, unresolved nature of internal experience.

Structural complexity: 88 out of 100

'Tropisms' is composed of numerous short, fragmented prose pieces, each exploring a distinct psychological movement without traditional narrative continuity or character development. The text frequently shifts perspective, sometimes within a single paragraph, moving between an impersonal observer and an implied internal consciousness without clear transitions. This formal experimentation, coupled with the absence of a linear plot or stable setting, creates a highly complex and disorienting reading experience.

How Tropisms is regarded

Tropisms holds a literary regard score of 71 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

Nathalie Sarraute