Statizoid Public Domain Ebook Narrative Pace: Sentence Length Variance

💬 Language & Media

Public Domain Ebook Narrative Pace: Sentence Length Variance

Tracking the rhythm of classic stories through sentence length variation in public domain ebooks.

Observations
10
Tracking since
Last updated

This subject is not publishing figures yet — its collector is still being built.

Sentence Length Variance

Variance of sentence lengths (in words) for each public domain ebook

10 observations across 5 series · measured in words^2

622.9 words^2
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads
▬ 0.0% vs previous
20 Oct 2026 08:15
478.8 words^2
Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads
▬ 0.0% vs previous
20 Oct 2026 08:15
323.3 words^2
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads
▬ 0.0% vs previous
20 Oct 2026 08:15
245.3 words^2
Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads
▬ 0.0% vs previous
20 Oct 2026 08:15
234.6 words^2
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads
▬ 0.0% vs previous
20 Oct 2026 08:15
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — summary, last 30 days.
  • Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads
  • Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads
  • Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads
  • Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads
  • The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads
20030040050060008:0308:0908:15Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads: 622.9 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:03Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads: 622.9 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:15Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads: 478.8 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:03Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads: 478.8 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:15Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads: 323.3 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:03Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads: 323.3 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:15Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads: 245.3 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:03Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads: 245.3 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:15The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads: 234.6 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:03The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads: 234.6 words^2 — 20 Oct 2026 08:15
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — line, last 30 days.
  • Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads622.9 words^2
  • Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads478.8 words^2
  • Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads323.3 words^2
  • Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads245.3 words^2
  • The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads234.6 words^2
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — bar, last 30 days.
  • Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads622.9 words^2
  • Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads478.8 words^2
  • Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads323.3 words^2
  • Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads245.3 words^2
  • The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads234.6 words^2
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — dot plot, last 30 days.
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — share, last 30 days.
234.6 words^2–267 words^2: 4 observations267 words^2–299.3 words^2: 0 observations299.3 words^2–331.7 words^2: 2 observations331.7 words^2–364 words^2: 0 observations364 words^2–396.4 words^2: 0 observations396.4 words^2–428.8 words^2: 0 observations428.8 words^2–461.1 words^2: 0 observations461.1 words^2–493.5 words^2: 2 observations493.5 words^2–525.8 words^2: 0 observations525.8 words^2–558.2 words^2: 0 observations558.2 words^2–590.6 words^2: 0 observations590.6 words^2–622.9 words^2: 2 observations234.6 words^2622.9 words^24
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — distribution, last 30 days.
WhenSeriesSentence Length Variance
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads622.9 words^2
Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads478.8 words^2
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads323.3 words^2
Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads245.3 words^2
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads234.6 words^2
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll138170 downloads622.9 words^2
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle101030 downloads234.6 words^2
Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleHerman Melville169920 downloads478.8 words^2
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen202379 downloads323.3 words^2
Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheusMary Wollstonecraft Shelley171201 downloads245.3 words^2
Sentence Length Variance (words^2) — table, last 30 days.

About this data

This page explores the narrative pace of public domain ebooks by analysing the variation in sentence lengths. We measure how much sentence lengths tend to differ from the average for a given book, using standard deviation and average sentence length. This helps us understand the ebb and flow of stories, and how authors have varied their pace over time. By looking at these figures, we can gain insights into the evolving art of storytelling, moving beyond general complexity to focus on the dynamic rhythm of prose.

Sources

Every figure on this page was read from these pages.

Why this isn't published anywhere else

While research exists on sentence length variation and its relation to literary style and historical trends, there are no readily available, regularly updated public datasets or dashboards specifically tracking 'Public Domain Ebook Narrative Pace: Sentence Length Variance'.

Uniqueness score 0.80 — assessed against live web search results when this subject was created.