'Work it out for yourself': language and fictional form in Stevie Smith's 'Novel on Yellow Paper.'

Stevie Smith's poetry and novels question the role of the written word. 'Work it out for yourself' is the subtitle of Smith's first novel, 'Novel on Yellow Paper,' because the work characterized many of her friends and acquaintances in a faintly disguised manner. The subtitle also refers to Smith's awareness of her readers, and her unconventionally playful relations with them. This unusually satiric style is embodied by the doodles Smith insisted accompany her poems when printed.