akdom  +  963658 Fri, 06 Nov 09 08:04 PM "With Pox Americana, Fenn crafts a sprawling narrative detailing the overlooked smallpox epidemic of 1775-1782 in the Americas and the tumultuous times of revolution that surrounded it."     What does a " sprawling" narrative mean? overextended? too complexed? unorganized? random?   Does it have a negative connotation? ...he gave a sprawling narrative of the story, spraying frivilous details all over the place...  akdom Joined on Wed, Jun 4 2008 Full Member 143 Negatives, Negations

	CalifJim  +  963704 Fri, 06 Nov 09 08:51 PM "overextended" is probably the best approximation.  "very extensive" in any case.  Yes, it has at least a slightly negative connotation.  In some cases -- and it depends, as always, on context -- it has a very negative connotation when applied to literature. The verb sprawl has a more neutral connotation when used in other contexts: Jake was sprawled all over the couch, watching TV. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,385 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Negatives, Context, Negations