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"Italics Are Underrated"

So declared Dan Brown at the launch party for his new book The Lost Symbol. In a related literary observation, he noted that "The best part of a novel is the interior dialogue"--I think he means "monologue" here--"that you don't get in a movie or in actual life." Of course, you do get it in movies that feature voiceover and, in "actual life," if your own thoughts are accessible to you. Still, I take his point.

In any case, the folks at Vulture have cracked open a copy of The Lost Symbol to explore the myriad ends to which Brown uses interior-monologue italics (and ellipses!). A brief sample:

I woke up this morning anticipating a quiet Sunday at home ... and now I'm a few minutes away from the U.S. Capitol.

You're a teacher, Robert — improvise!

Made it ... again.

A budding romance, maybe?

Who is this monster?!

I need that pyramid and capstone ... and I'm running out of time.

You can find more of Brown's Joycean experimentation here.