science

Le Train de Nulle Part

Le Train de Nulle Part is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Le Train de Nulle Part rather than just read about it. In short: Le Train de Nulle Part (The Train from Nowhere) is a 233-page French novel, written in 2004 by a French doctor of letters, Michel Dansel, under the pen name Michel Thaler. Notable as an example of constrained writing, the entire novel is written without a single verb.

Key takeaways

Le Train de Nulle Part belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Le Train de Nulle Part to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Le Train de Nulle Part from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Le Train de Nulle Part (The Train from Nowhere) is a 233-page French novel, written in 2004 by a French doctor of letters, Michel Dansel, under the pen name Michel Thaler. Notable as an example of constrained writing, the entire novel is written without a single verb. In the novel's preface, Thaler called the verb an "invader, dictator, usurper of our literature". Considering the novel a step towards literature comparable with the artistic impact of Dadaism and surrealism, Thaler surmised, "The verb is like a weed in a field of flowers. You have to get rid of it to allow the flowers to grow and flourish. Take away the verbs and the language speaks for itself." Thaler went so far as to organize a well-attended, tongue-in-cheek funeral for the verb, at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Sample Quelle aubaine ! Une place de libre, ou presque, dans ce compartiment. Une escale provisoire, pourquoi pas ! Donc, ma nouvelle adresse dans ce train de nulle part : voiture 12, 3e compartiment dans le sens de la marche. Encore une fois, pourquoi pas ? What luck! A vacant seat, almost, in that compartment. A provisional stop, why not? So, my new address in this nowhere train: car 12, 3rd compartment from the front. Once again, why not?

See also Gadsby, a novel without the letter e. A Void, the English translation of another, considerably later, French novel, having the 'no e' restriction in both languages. "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", a story which contains a fictional world of people whose language contains no nouns.

External links Le train de nulle part (beginning of the novel) Nothing doing: no verbs

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Le Train de Nulle Part

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Le Train de Nulle Part claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Le Train de Nulle Part before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Le Train de Nulle Part ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Le Train de Nulle Part

In research: Le Train de Nulle Part appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Le Train de Nulle Part in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Le Train de Nulle Part is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s French-language novels, 2004 French novels, Word games, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Le Train de Nulle Part outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Le Train de Nulle Part in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Le Train de Nulle Part means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Le Train de Nulle Part out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Le Train de Nulle Part in simple terms?

Why does Le Train de Nulle Part matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Le Train de Nulle Part?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Le Train de Nulle Part.