Stylistiс analysis "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy

The extract under the title is taken from the trilogy “The Forsyte Saga” written by the English novelist and playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932 John Galsworthy. Galsworthy became known for his portrayal of the British upper middle class and for his social satire. His most famous work is THE FORSYTE SAGA (1906-1921), an English parallel to Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks (1901). Galsworthy was a representative of the literary tradition, which has regarded the novel as an instrument of social debate. He believed that it was the duty of an artist to examine a problem, but not to provide a solution. Before starting his career as a writer, Galsworthy read widely the works of Kipling, Zola, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Flaubert. 

The extract under the study begins with the description of the protagonist – Mr. Jolyon. He feels bad and stays at bed, hiding from the light. But when with lunch he gets the telegram from Irene saying that she comes back, he feels excited and is looking forward to seeing her as earlier as possible. In order to meet her, he leaves his room without somebody’s knowledge and intends to wait her in the coppice, but the heat outside forces him to sit under the oak tree and wait just there. He admires the beauty of the nature, the allure of summer and gradually becomes asleep. Later his faithful dog notices that its master has gone, fallen in the eternal sleep. 

While reading the extract some unusual items strike the eye. The first thing we should pay our attention at is the inner condition of the character. We see that in the beginning of the extract he is rather sick and weak, a hopeless old man: “He spent the morning languidly with the sun-blinds down…” 

After reading Irene’s telegram, however, he transforms so quickly and easily, as if never being ill: “Coming down! After all! Then she did exist – and he was not deserted. Coming down! A glow ran through his limbs; his cheeks and forehead felt hot. … Coming down! His heart beat fast, and then did not seem to beat at all.” 

New bright colors of inspiration and excitement start playing in his heart. His imagination draws clear and vivid pictures of Irene’s appearance in their place. Suddenly he feels as if much younger. He wishes he were much younger. How many things he could do then, how many mistakes he could avoid then… 

The second curious thing captivating our mind concerns the whole extract itself. I guess one can’t help noticing that the author informs us of the death while illustrating the beauty, the loveliness of the summer, of the nature, of everything around. In fact, death is a horrible and awful notion for most human beings. What we observe here – the author rejects this common idea and demonstrates the last way of the man in a fascinating, extraordinary manner, avoiding all unpleasant and sorrowful words. This can be the evidence of his pleasing and worthy life. To some extent this can as well prove his being good to others. 

In order to express those feelings of Mr. Jolyon, to demonstrate those views one never would have noticed Galsworthy makes use of the certain stylistic devices assisting him to convey gorgeousness of the situation. 

Let’s have a look at them. In the first instance, the neat epithets “burning afternoon” and “delicious surge of slumber” clearing how exasperating the heat was, bereaving his strength, and explaining to us the hero’s flaccidity and weariness are worth of our observing them. 

Besides, exquisite metaphors provide the extract with magnetism and magnificence: “a violet-grey figure passing over the daisies and dandelions and ‘soldiers’ on the lawn—the soldiers with their flowery crowns”, “And he was happy—happy as a sand-boy, whatever that might be.” 

The case of personification completely astonishes the reader: “A ray of sunlight struck through and lodged on his boot.” 

The doubled case of exciting reversed parallel construction, chiasmus, even rouses the reader’s sympathy to the personage: “They were excited—busy, as his heart was busy and excited. Drowsy, too, drowsy and drugged on honey and happiness; as his heart was drugged and drowsy.”  

The parallel construction underlines his sudden emotions and observations: “What a revel of bright minutes! What a hum of insects, and cooing of pigeons! It was the quintessence of a summer day. Lovely!” The pleasurable expectance makes him notice every little movement around. This is also proved by the repetition: “passing over the daisies and dandelions and ‘soldiers’”. 

The other repetition marks the fidelity of the animal to the master: “and that dog would lick her hand. That dog knew his master was fond of her; that dog was a good dog.” No wonder it was the one discovering Mr. Jolyon’s death. 

Once we come across the protagonist’s stream of consciousness: “Ah! that was why there was such a racket of bees!...” It continues the theme of adoration and observation. 

Not once reading the extract we come across the author’s exclamations: “Summer–summer–summer!” 

Perhaps Galsworthy exposes it deliberately as if revealing that in any other season the death wouldn’t be hidden in the glamour and beauty as in the summer. 

If to speak about the text itself, one should mention that it’s told in the 3rd person narrative. The narration is richly interlaced with descriptive passages. The prevailing slant of the extract is very optimistic and emotional. The composition of the story is not complicated, though it’s not a fast moving one. The climax comes when the dog, Balthasar, notices the master doesn't budge any more. 

All in all, the protagonist enjoys all the sympathy of the reader. We feel it and we can’t help agreeing the author. The fragment made a great move in my heart and the author’s style and language impressed me extremely. I still see the image of the old man sitting under the oak tree and I believe he was a happy one.

Анализ "Crooked House" by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is considered to be the queen of detective stories. Unlike all other detective stories her ones are called "intuitive", as the exposure of murder is revealed through psychological perspicacity of the main heroes. The main accent is made not on the investigation of evidences and arguments, but on the observation of behaviour of the main heroes, the content and structure of their dialogues. Everything in her stories is adjusted, the details are meaningful, the scenes from family life are trustworthy and expressive.

"The Crooked House" is an assemble of her prose. As the extract under study is the beginning of the story, it is a piece of description which can be considered as an exposition that introduces to the readers the main characters and their relationship.

The plot of the extract centers round the close friendship between the soldier Charles and the worker of the Foreign Office Departments Sophia. They spent together their free time and amused themselves. Their acquaintance was broken up by the order that Charles should go to the East, and in spite of this during two years they had been writing letters to each other.

The main theme of this extract may be identified as the process of development of relationship of the young people in the postwar period. On having read this extract the readers can grasp the idea that the author's message sounds like this – the feelings between young people should be tested by time and hardships, as marriage is a serious step in anybody's life. It can't be decided at once...

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Анализ "To Sir, With Love" by E. R. Braithwaite

Dr. Edward Ricardo Braithwaite is internationally known author of the bestseller "To Sir, With Love" based on the author’s experiences as a teacher in a tough section of London. The best seller book was later made into a popular movie starring Sidney Poiter and whose title song was sung by the 1960s pop star, Lulu. Today, the book is still popular with a new reprint edition along with a release of the movie on DVD. 

In his work Braithwaite reflects on the dynamics taking place in classrooms and the important role teachers play in the development of students. His early work could be characterized as one of the first reflective memoirs on teaching to receive international attention. This early work is still considered one of the best. Although Dr. Braithwaite has published many other novels and books, "To Sir, With Love" remains to be currently cited as containing important tenets relevant to today’s youth and our educational institutions. 

Besides, the book covers much more detail than the movie. It tells of the hardships faced by the author, a well educated black man in post-war Britain, and how he was forced to become a teacher at a run-down school at London’s East End. Most of his students were ruffians off the streets, and the story of how he gradually overcame them with his love and also earned their respect with his knowledge, makes for riveting reading. 

The problem addressed in the story is acute nowadays. It is children’s misbehaviour, their unwillingness to study. It examines the growth of the relationship between student and teacher through personal understanding of each other, which is the inspirational foundation of their education. The story reflects the author's preoccupation with the moral self. 

So, the controlling idea of the story under analysis is the following – one cannot lead children using just love or strength, one should apply all his talents and skills to make children respond and be interested. That needs much patience and strong will. 

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Анализ "Snow" by Ann Beattie

The story under the title “Snow” was written by an American short story writer and novelist – Ann Beattie. Born on September 8, 1947 she has received an award for excellence from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and a PEN/Bernard Malamud Award for excellence in the short story form. Her work has been compared to Alice Adams, J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, and John Updike. She holds an undergraduate degree from American University and a masters degree from the University of Connecticut. 

Born in Washington, D.C., Beattie grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She gained attention in the early 1970s with short stories published in The Western Humanities Review, Ninth Letter, the Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker. Critics have praised her writing for its keen observations and dry, matter-of-fact irony which chronicle disillusionments of the upper-middle-class generation that grew up in the 1960s. 

In 1976, she published her first book of short stories, Distortions, and her first novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter, later made into a film. She has taught at Harvard College and the University of Connecticut and presently teaches at the University of Virginia, where she is the Edgar Allan Poe Chair of the Department of English and Creative Writing. 

The story under the study is written in the form of a letter. It depicts the things happened with a couple, having had a rest in the country during a winter time. The narrator revizes every little unimportant thing happened at the place they stayed with her own estimation and value, so that everything acquires new meaning and interpretation. Though there is no mentioning names or protagonists, we realize the narrator is female writing to her lover. The author’s prompts prove this, we can easily notice it in the metaphor “like a crazy king of snow”. 

Reading the story we observe the pair enjoyed their time together, but something must have occurred and for the time being they are apart. No inclinations about how it came to be, just a letter with informative facts and recollections. 

Besides, the narrator underlines that the addressee remembered everything in his own way, not paying attention at such significant details as snow and some others, as the narrator did. In general, there is a multiple apply of the word snow in the novel: the day of the big snow, knee-deep in snow, newly fallen snow, field of snow. 

Snow plays a symbolic role of love between the two. There was snow and there was love. At the moment it’s not a time for snow and accordingly love is absent in the hearts of the two. Though this letter may be the result of a hope calling for love, an approval that one of the two hearts still beats with passion and belief. Perhaps she still loves and wants to replay those days again. 

Giving a general definition of the text under the study we should note it is written in the 1st person narrative. The narration is interlaces with descriptive passages. It comes as no surprise that there are no dialogues at all, as the letter can’t include them. The narration is broken by lyrical digressions which come like stream of consciousness. The prevailing mood of the story is quite sentimental, as it carries the memories of the loving person. 

In expressing the narrator’s thoughts the author used metaphor in the following sentences, making the language of lover more sentimental and revealing her emotional attitude: 

“In the kitchen, a pattern of white-gold trellises supported purple grapes as big and round as Ping-Pong balls.”, “…you, in white towel turban, like a crazy king of snow”. 

Among the other stylistic devices we should also mark the case of asyndeton: “the child who happened to be standing on the right corner when the door of the ice-cream truck came open and hundreds of Popsicles crashed out; the man standing on the beach, sand sparkling in the sun, one bit glinting more than the rest, stooping to find a diamond ring.” Reading this sentence we observe the narrator conveying an individual perception of the things described. 

The case of anaphora as if reflects the narrator’s warm feelings of the past, enhancing the expressiveness of the text: “You remember it differently. You remember that the cold settled in stages…” 

All in all, the story is marked with pessimism, perhaps even giving us the constant reason to hope. It is a remarkable insight into human nature still full of secrets and mysticism.

Анализ "Nobody Knows" by Sherwood Anderson

The story under the title "Nobody Knows" was written by an outstanding American writer Sherwood Anderson, well-known for using implication, the style of sober realism and depicting strange characters in his works, the most famous from which is his book "Winesburg, Ohio". 

The main character of the story is George Willard, a man who tries to court a young lady - Louise Trunnion. The whole story depicts a short period of time, so the author lets us trace all the events. 

From the very beginning we see that George wasn't in love with Louise, though it may seem so. He wanted to visit her, but doubted: "all day he had been trying to make up his mind to go through with the adventure". A number of nouns and adjectives like "in the darkness", "pitch dark" convey his state of being nervous, and intensify his doubts, preparing the reader for further events. "There had been no decision", "He didn't dare think" - those short sentences show his fear and confidence, and the author proves it: "In his mind there was a fear". Even when he met her, his fear didn't leave him. 

The sentence given by the author makes everything clear: "The whispered tales concerning her that had gone about town gave him confidence". She was a mere prostitute and George wanted nothing but her: "He became wholly the male, bold and aggressive". Love was out of the question: "In his heart there was no sympathy for her". 

Realizing all this we can formulate the problem tackled by the author - in their wishes people are contemptible, though desiring to stay clear face to face. To prove it we can mention the fact that George Willard thought over his adventure the whole day, but on his way to Louise he tried to avoid all people passing him in the street. 

So, summing up all we know about Sherwood Anderson and his characters we can say that the controlling idea of the story conveyed by the author sounds like this - people want to get rid of their loneliness, want to find support and warmth in others, but the discrepancy between their dreams and reality is too large. 

If to speak about the story, it's told in the 3rd person narrative and interlaced with descriptive passages. The prevailing mood of the story is rather pessimistic, as we for example come across the town drunkard lying asleep on the ground, and there's nothing bright in the life of town inhabitants. 

The composition of the story isn't complicated. The introduction lets us enter in the course of events and acquaints us with the character. The development of the plot is seen in the meeting of George with Louise. And the culminating point begins with the sentence "A flood of words burst from George Willard". In the denouement the pair walks along narrow bride sidewalks, as if nothing has happened. 

It would be wise to mention here that even the title of the story helps us to draw the conflict between a man and society - nobody knows what's going on in my inner world, nobody cares what I am in this world. As for me, I find the story quite deep and thought-provoking, making us reestimate our values in this life.

Анализ "Salvatore" by Somerset Maugham

The story was written by Somerset Maugham - British novelist, playwright, short-story writer, highest paid author in the world in the 1930s. Despite his popularity, Maugham did not gain serious recognition. This was expressed in his autobiography THE SUMMING UP (1938), that he stood ‘in the very first row of the second-raters’. Maugham’s skill in handling plot has been compared by critics in the manner of Guy de Maupassant. In many novels the surroundings are international and the stories are told in clear, economical style with cynical or resigned undertone. Though there are many admirers of his works, I am among them. 

In the story under the discussion we can define the style of the author as bookish more than as colloquial, as many words applied by Maugham prove that: affiance, to long, ailment, consent, etc. Although the colloquialisms are also present in the story, such as “dreadfully homesick”, etc. 

The genre of the story is a novel, as it describes a love story of a couple never going to be together, it fully correspond the boundaries of this genre. The subject matter – story about a usual fisherman’s son who returned from military service and found out that his girl refused from his love. He started a new life without her, but the loss hurt him and stayed in his heart forever. 

In this story the author voices dissatisfaction with the fact that for most people the things spoken about oneself are more important than a man himself. That causes lots of difficulties and misunderstandings. This is the problem the author arises by his work. And we can easily draw the message of Maugham who hints that the beauty of a man is defined not by his inner characteristics, but by his inner world. This item consistently helps us to formulate the controlling idea of the novel – more than often mankind forgets about morals and inner world of every person and that is much higher than one’s outer features, or in other words – the only valuable quality is much more than many unimportant and unnecessary ones. 

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Анализ "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde

The story under the title “The Happy Prince” was written by an Irish poet and dramatist whose reputation rests on his comic masterpieces Lady Wintermere's Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), (Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde). Among Wilde's other best-known works are his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which deals very similar theme as Robert Luis Stevenson's Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. Wilde's fairy tales are very popular - the motifs have been compared to those of Hans Christian Andersen. 

The plot of the story under analysis centers round a swallow, which travels a lot and finally finds a statue of the Happy Prince. Being alive the Happy Prince didn’t know what the sorrow was, only after the death he being set up as a statue could see “all the ugliness and all the misery of his city”. The swallow who obeyed his commands in the sake of the good, finally died, and they both were thrown in a dust-heap. 

The core of the problem raised in the story is good and evil, wealth and poverty. An important point is that the story resembles a fairy tale. While reading we come across various things and objects, which usually don’t possess emotions and feelings, the ability to speak, or aren’t alive at all. They are speaking birds and the statue, alive reeds, etc. 

We know the Swallow loved the Reed and offered to be his wife. It’s obvious that only in fairy tales the ally of different kinds of things is possible. "It is a ridiculous attachment," twittered the other Swallows; "she has no money, and far too many relations" – this exact sentence is the example of a fairy tale form, but at the same time it depicts in swallows usual features of real life, such as greediness. So, it contributes to the problem, and proves it is quite vital. 

The main idea of the story is that we start appreciating what we possessed only after losing it. The Happy Prince “lived in the Palace of Sans- Souci, where sorrow was not allowed to enter”, but death let him see all the sorrows of people living near him.

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Анализ "A Canary For One" by Ernest Hemingway

The story under the title "A Canary for One" was written by one of the most famous writers of the 20th century – Ernest Hemingway.

The story begins with the description of the train going to Paris and the passengers in it. They are the main characters: the American lady with her canary, and a man with his wife. The plot of the story is quite simple – the passengers traveling to Paris in the same compartment have a common and easy conversation while the trip, and finally part reaching their destination. Though it seems quite a usual thing, lots of facts prove the story to be one of the great works of Hemingway’s genius.

Let’s begin with the protagonist of the story – the American lady. The author doesn’t even mention her name as it’s unnecessary. In the whole story there are no names at all. What we know of her – she is a bit deaf and has a daughter. No mentioning her husband. So we may guess for the time being she has no husband at all, or his existence is so unimportant for her. This is the first sign of her loneliness.

What concerns her daughter, it’s well-known that she was madly in love with a Swiss fellow, but it turned out they parted. No explanations, just a fact. The American lady kept on saying that American men make the best husbands. It is possible that the mother didn’t let her daughter marry her Swiss boyfriend, as he belonged to the “wrong” nationality, not the American. So she took the canary for her girl as a present – perhaps to console her sufferings and torments. That little canary singing so beautifully – was a solace for the girl who lost her love ...

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Анализ "Thursday Evening" by Christopher Morley

The text under consideration is called "Thursday Evening" written by Christopher Morley. The scene is set in the small kitchen of the modest suburban home of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Johns. A meal has recently been cooked and Laura has served a dinner for four persons as both grandmothers are visiting. Laura and Gordon are in good humour at first but every time one or the other refers to his or her own mother the atmosphere becomes tense.

A fierce conflict breaks out between Laura and Gordon when he begins hunting for the plate with a lot of perfectly good stuff he saved.

The play can be divided into 3 parts. 1 part describes the quarrel between Laura and Gordon. 2 part - a treaty peace between the two mothers. 3 part - admission of mistakes and a happy end.

The author resorts to various stylistical devices to create the difference in the general atmosphere among the different parts of the play.

In the first part we deal with the quarrel in the family of a young couple. The atmosphere is tense. Gordon always points to her being wasteful. For example, by means of repetition (anadiplosis): "My Lord, it's no wonder we never have any money to spend if we chuck half of it in waste. Waste! Look at that piece of cheese and those potatoes" ...

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