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I just finished "The House of the Seven Gables" by Hawthorne. I was struck by how often he switched tenses. Mostly the narration was in past tense, but then he would switch to present or even future tense. Sometimes the tense would change for a sentence or a paragraph; other times it would change for a whole chapter. It was a bit jarring, since it's hardly ever done, to the point where it is almost an iron-clad rule. (As in: Any competent editor or English teacher will always mark it wrong.) But it worked well the way Hawthorne did it in this novel. This set me thinking (and here's the question):

What are some (other) great examples where authors of novels successfully break the "rules" for writing? (And of course, what was the broken rule?)

I don't mean rule-breaking once in a blue moon, for dramatic emphasis. I mean a lot -- multiple chapters, or the whole book. And I'm restricting this to novels, because short stories are much more experimental. And by "successfully," I mean that the novel sold well and is fairly well-known. Also, I'm not necessarily asking for a list of ground-breaking novels, which broke "rules" that once seemed important but no longer stand.

Another example would be "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Vonnegut. (For a variety of reasons!)

dmm
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    It's hard to give "a correct answer". I can give one: Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Lots of deus ex machina events - no foreshadowing, and defying common logic. Continuity is all over the place, there are some timelines but you'd need a notebook to follow them all. Mary-Sue protagonist character - Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Universe. "Coincidences" that defy suspension of disbelief, e.g. totally crappy reinvention of reopenable windows. Plot holes through defying common knowledge (dolphins and mice being perfectly tolerant of humans). – SF. Jul 25 '14 at 16:48
  • This question can result in an open-ended list, and it isn't really answerable in its current form. That said, it's a fascinating question. Can anyone think of a way of editing this into a form that we could leave open? – Goodbye Stack Exchange Jul 25 '14 at 20:42
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    It's not answerable with a single answer, true, but it is answerable. And the answers are supposed to be restricted to "successful" books, so that's not open-ended. And people are supposed to explain how the novel broke rules, so I'm not just asking for a list. Having said all that, I'm not married to the current wording. At the root of the question is my wondering how strongly a skilled author can break the rules (and still be successful). Readers accept misdemeanors for the sake of effect. How often do they accept felonies? Or even, crimes of the century? – dmm Jul 25 '14 at 21:46
  • I guess "Ulysses" by Joyce qualifies. It is famous, and its stream-of-consciousness "plot" certainly breaks lots of rules. And it has sold many copies. But how many people actually read it all the way through, because they wanted to? It started as a short story, and it worked well. Then it turned into a tome. OTOH, a lot of literary critics rate it as one of the greatest books ever, so that's another measure of success (FWIW). – dmm Jul 25 '14 at 21:57
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    Theory: Trying to determine what things qualify as "rules-breaking" is really broad. Perhaps the OP could identify one or two "rules-breaking" things he's interested in emulating and then ask about those. "How do you maintain frequent perspective shifts without alienating the reader? I know X did this, but is that just because X do anything he likes and people like it anyway?" That might work. Or it might be completely derailing the OP's intent. – Jerenda Jul 26 '14 at 00:28
  • Placed on hold as too broad for the time being, pending edits. – Goodbye Stack Exchange Jul 26 '14 at 01:57
  • Too broad for small minds. – dmm Jul 26 '14 at 19:16
  • If, as you write, you found Hawthorne "jarring", it can hardly count as a successful example. –  Jul 27 '14 at 19:05
  • I just read the beginning of Hawthorne's novel and realized that he does not break the tense rule at all. The story itself switches from the present of the narrator, who tells what the town is like now, when he and the readers are alive, to what happened in the past. Example: "Colonel Pyncheon, the claimant, as we gather from whatever traits of him are preserved, was characterized by an iron energy of purpose." "Gather" and "are" are in the present tense because they happen in the present, "was" is in the past tense because Pyncheon is now long dead. No rule is broken here. –  Jul 27 '14 at 19:25
  • I suggest we close this question as it is based on a false claim. –  Jul 27 '14 at 19:31
  • @what: 1) When Hawthorne does it, his intent is to be jarring. And I think the novel in question can be considered a success. 2) As the most glaring example, chapter 18, "Governor Pyncheon," is in the present tense, while most of the novel, as you point out, is in the past tense. – dmm Jul 28 '14 at 02:23
  • Hawthorne, in the introduction to that chapter, says that he is now taking us back to the past, which, of course, is then told in present tense: "To him, and to the venerable House of the Seven Gables, does our story now betake itself, ..." He does not shift tenses in the narration, he shifts the narrative perspective. The rule is broken only if the tenses shift while the narration stays in the same time and place! This question should be closed, because you don't even understand the rule that you claim is broken here! –  Jul 28 '14 at 07:41
  • Chpt 17 is in past tense. Then 18: "Judge Pyncheon, while his two relatives HAVE fled away with such ill-considered haste, still SITS in the parlor, KEEPING house, ...." I never said the tense changes were inexplicable and without purpose. H switches here to give an immediacy to his narration. 2) Also, I said that chpt 18 was the most glaring. There are many other tense shifts like this, even within a single sentence, throughout the book (although less dramatic). You'd know that if you had bothered reading the book.
    • – dmm Jul 28 '14 at 12:50
  • I never said H broke a hard-fast GRAMMAR rule. There are many WRITING "rules" that have nothing to do with grammar rules. Notice the quotes. You are grasping at straws. 4) In any case, my example does not change my question, which I maintain is a perfectly valid one for this site. It is no more general than MANY other questions that have been allowed. For example, see one of the top related questions, just to the right of mine: http://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/761/the-rules-of-writing?rq=1
    • – dmm Jul 28 '14 at 13:00