Trout’s Lie
by Percival Everett

Percival Everett, throughout his writing career, has been known to challenge conventional wisdom and play with the fluidity of language, meaning, and narrative structures. In "Trout’s Lie," like in many of his other works, Everett dives deep into the complexities of language, meaning, and interpretation.

The title itself, "Trout’s Lie," might be a play on words, possibly referring to both a falsehood spoken by a trout and the place in a stream where a trout might lie in wait for prey. This duality can serve as a metaphor for the dual nature of language: words have both literal meanings and connotations, and their true meaning can sometimes be elusive, lurking beneath the surface.

When it’s mentioned that Everett "explores the semantic relationship between sense and so-called nonsense," this could mean that he’s examining how closely related meaningful discourse is to what might initially seem like nonsense. Often, what seems nonsensical at first can, upon deeper examination or in a different context, make perfect sense. Conversely, what seems logical and straightforward can often fall apart under scrutiny.

Furthermore, by questioning "whether either is actually possible," Everett might be challenging the very notions of coherence and incoherence, suggesting that our understanding of the world and our attempts to communicate about it are always, in some way, flawed or incomplete. It’s a reflection on the imperfection of language as a tool for conveying meaning and the inherent ambiguities present in any act of communication.

By playing with these ideas, Everett not only entertains but also prompts readers to think more deeply about the nature of language, the act of interpretation, and the boundaries between sense and nonsense.