Nodism presents an immediate difficulty for the English speaker, who is faced with the tongue-knotting question of whether the first syllable is to be pronounced ‘nod’ or ‘node’. The fact is you can say it either way and not be wrong. This is because nodism is a kind of nudism that bears and bares both nod and node. Perhaps this will sound like mere wordplay, but you would be quite mistaken in thinking so. Nodism is a profoundly serious affair. In a sense everything rests on it. If you are going to use the word, be vigilant. Remember Heidegger's little dictum: ‘Every mere ism is a misunderstanding and the death of history’. Nodisms (for they are legion) should always be approached with care. The origin of the term is uncertain, but I can here confirm that it occurred to me during dinner on the evening of 12 April 2010, at my favourite Spanish restaurant, Casa don Carlos, in Brighton.

Nodism is a practice of reading that takes its orientation from a single word, phrase or syllable in a work of literature. The word or phrase is not necessarily obvious: often it may seem a small detail, peripheral to the main action. It might occur only once but that ‘once’ is always complicated. Usually it will turn up elsewhere in the text or in other writings by the same author.