The Appendix of a Novel: Why?

[hooplala]

Novels with appendices... are they necessary?  If the material is truly important, it should be in the actual story, no?

Opinions?

[hunter s.durden]

Books are like people.

If you don't like it, rip it out.

[LMNO]

I enjoyed the appendicies of Infinite Jest more than the book itself.

[hooplala]

I enjoyed the appendicies of Infinite Jest more than the book itself.

What was their function in the novel?  Were they central to the plot?

[LMNO]

Obviously, you've never read Infinite Jest.

That's not a dis-- it's actually incredibly difficult to describe a "plot" of any sort.

[hooplala]

Obviously, you've never read Infinite Jest.

That's not a dis-- it's actually incredibly difficult to describe a "plot" of any sort.

No, I've actually never even heard of it, that I can recall.


A book I am working on was going to include appendices, but a few friends tried to nix the idea... which is why I am asking for opinions.  As I've said before, I prefer the appendices of Illuminatus to the rest of the book...

[hunter s.durden]

You like it?

Why consider not having them then?

Fuck people's opinions.

[Suu]

In my opinion, the appendices are like a collective of notes that could have created too much of a distraction in the main novelization, but is still valuable data to the storyline...IF you want to read them.

[LMNO]

If it's a heavily plot-driven story that relies on massive amounts of backstory and history that will get in the way, use an appendix. 

Or you can use it in a very post-modern way, and mess with the form.  Cf: the footnotes in Discworld & The Widow's Son, Infinite Jest, et al.

[hooplala]

You like it?

Why consider not having them then?

Fuck people's opinions.

This is what I've been thinking... but I have a strange irrational fear of being considered pretentious.

[hooplala]

If it's a heavily plot-driven story that relies on massive amounts of backstory and history that will get in the way, use an appendix. 

Or you can use it in a very post-modern way, and mess with the form.  Cf: the footnotes in Discworld & The Widow's Son, Infinite Jest, et al.

Not really plot heavy, but there IS a lot of backstory.

[LMNO]

If it's a heavily plot-driven story that relies on massive amounts of backstory and history that will get in the way, use an appendix. 

Or you can use it in a very post-modern way, and mess with the form.  Cf: the footnotes in Discworld & The Widow's Son, Infinite Jest, et al.

Not really plot heavy, but there IS a lot of backstory.

Will it get in the way, can you incorporate it into the main story?

[hunter s.durden]

You like it?

Why consider not having them then?

Fuck people's opinions.

This is what I've been thinking... but I have a strange irrational fear of being considered pretentious.

Too late.

There, fear gone, go write.

[e]

Appendices are cool.  Also, you should strive to be as pretentious as possible!

[Golden Applesauce]

I liked the footnotes in the Bartimaeus Trilogy and the Discworld series.  But an appendix in the back...

The only time I've ever encountered such a thing was in LoTR, and it really felt like TMI.  Cool, a short story about Arwen and Aragorn.  Publish it in your Tales of Middle Earth anthology.  And whole alphabets?  Multiple alphabets?  That's just excessive now.

If one can read your book, skip the appendix, and not lose much enjoyment, the index probably is a waste.

On the other hand, WoT really could have used an index so I could keep all 600 named characters straight.