Keene’s vocabulary and tone in Gloss, or, The Strange History Of Our Lady of the Sorrows most closely reminds me at first of the language used by older textbooks I’ve read on specific topics, which fits well the source he draws from, which appears to be an historical account of Catholics in Early America (strangely, I could not find any record of this book online). However, with closer reading of the opening paragraphs of Keene’s imposition, it becomes clear that, while the sentence structure and vocabulary carries that same formulation as the text it is amending, the focus is very different. The focus on the characters and aspects of everyday life draws the spotlight to Carmel, as opposed to what one might call the “bigger picture.”

As he proceeds throughout the piece, the piece becomes more narrative and less informative in tone, but still includes some aspects of the more informative style. For instance, Keene writes on page 120, “She slid the book, under the bed, and — Some time later, she felt something tugging at her hand and foot.” This sentence, while conveying information included in narrative but not in informational accounts, still uses a slightly stilted tone. The abrupt “Some time later…” transition and the lack of adjectives and adverbs contribute to the deviation from a standard narrative style.