“
I noticed that in this novel, the dialogue appeared very little, and the psychological description and details of the characters appear very much. If we analyze and contrast the text inside the quotes and the text outside the quotes, i think we can get very interesting conclusions.
Maria was a very, very small person indeed but she had a very long nose and a very long chin.
the author used the word "very" frequently!Comparing "very, very small person" with "very long chin" and "very long nose", the character's appearance is vividly expressed.
[quote] _____ [verse] ____ I’m a… naughty girl. You needn’t sham: You know I am. ____ _____
The format of this part is really strange, I am pretty confused what the author want sto convey?
“Me, pa.” “Who are you? Charlie?” “No, pa. Tom.” “Where’s your mother?” “She’s out at the chapel.” “That’s right…. Did she think of leaving any dinner for me?” “Yes, pa. I—”
The dialogue between characters are very short but express the characters's feelings in a good way~
She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition.
Tragedy is the destruction of good things to people. Eveline has a longing for a good life and love, and tried to work hard, but in the end she failed, which makes people feel sader.
invade
Reading James Joyce's article is like reading poetry, his language is really wonderful and vivid. The verb "invade" makes the night anthropomorphic!
light
Symbolism is a technique that lies in the lines between words, allows readers to comprehend and expand the space of thinking. Hegel once said: "The symbol is to make people realize that it should not be a specific individual thing, but the universal meaning it implies. " In this novel, Joyce used it frequently. Among the many symbolic images, the "light" image is one of the most important images, given a specific meaning~
Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.
The boy in Araby was frustrated in his first love. Through this little story, the author expresses the instinct and life-threatening state of the entire Irish society. (by the way, this mental state is defined by Joyce as "Paralysis"
Joe Dillon
Joyce has the ability to understand the character's soul. His precise grasp of the characters is almost everywhere, and he can always draw these characters delicately. Here I have to mention a character Joe Dillon. He appeared in the opening moment, only appeared in the first few paragraphs, and was never mentioned again. However, he played a very important role in the whole story. He was the premise of this adventure and the resulting "accident". . Joe Dillon lets the children learn about the wild American West, lead the children to play the fierce Indian game, and always dance the victory. He is a kind of "wildness", his behavior and personality. There is a subtle influence on the partners, including the narrator "I."
”
In this novel, character dialogues appear very frequently, and the development of the storyline is promoted through dialogue. If we compare the text inside the quotes with the text outside the quotes, we might get interesting results.
…
The ellipsis in the character language is used very frequently, which not only expresses the personality characteristics of the characters, but also reflects the hesitant attitude of the characters. By the way,I am so happy that we can read the novels of James Joyce.Because I love him very much!
That evening for the first time in his life, as he pressed through the swing door and descended the three broad steps to the pavement, old Mr. Neave felt he was too old for the spring. Spring—warm, eager, restless—was there, waiting for him in the golden light, ready in front of everybody to run up, to blow in his white beard, to drag sweetly on his arm. And he couldn’t meet her, no; he couldn’t square up once more and stride off, jaunty as a young man. He was tired and, although the late sun was still shining, curiously cold, with a numbed feeling all over.
The vibrant spring contrasts with the dying Mr.Neave, clearly that everything is so beautiful and so good on the surface, but some sad stories are about to happen--this is exactly katherine Mansfield's style!
“You’re an ideal family, sir, an ideal famil
In the so-called "ideal family", Mr. Neave is very alienated from his wife and children，can't feel the warmth of the family .And even though he pays a lot for the family, but he does not get a return. How ironic and pitiful this is! This always reminds me that the material conditions of abundance are often not equal to happiness .
But presently a soft, melting, ravishing tune began, and a young man with curly hair bowed before her. She would have to dance, out of politeness, until she could find Meg. Very stiffly she walked into the middle; very haughtily she put her hand on his sleeve. But in one minute, in one turn, her feet glided, glided. The lights, the azaleas, the dresses, the pink faces, the velvet chairs, all became one beautiful flying wheel. And when her next partner bumped her into the fat man and he said, “Pardon,” she smiled at him more radiantly than ever. She didn’t even recognise him again.
The end and the beginning echo each other, but Leila's mood is completely different, showing a growth of Leila~
Leila gave a light little laugh, but she did not feel like laughing. Was it—could it all be true? It sounded terribly true. Was this first ball only the beginning of her last ball, after all? At that the music seemed to change; it sounded sad, sad; it rose upon a great sigh. Oh, how quickly things changed! Why didn’t happiness last for ever? For ever wasn’t a bit too long.
Question mark appear three tomes in this paragraph, indicating that Leila's mood took a one hundred and eighty degree turn,after hearing what the fat man said. And this is the turning point of this novel~~
The azaleas were separate flowers no longer; they were pink and white flags streaming by.
In Katherine Manthfield's novels, flowers are always playing an important role , so I think it is interesting to analyze the kinds and the colors of the flowers. Here ,the "azaleas" with bright colors show the happy mood of Leila~
Oh dear, how hard it was to be indifferent like the others! She tried not to smile too much; she tried not to care. But every single thing was so new and exciting... Meg’s tuberoses, Jose’s long loop of amber, Laura’s little dark head, pushing above her white fur like a flower through snow. She would remember for ever. It even gave her a pang to see her cousin Laurie throw away the wisps of tissue paper he pulled from the fastenings of his new gloves. She would like to have kept those wisps as a keepsake, as a remembrance
This is Leila's first ball,the psychological description and the phrases she describes others' clothes show her excitement~ Details always tell the truth~
—if Isabel hadn’t gone with Moira to Paris—if—if...
When reading a novel, I always pay attention to punctuation in the novel. I think that some subtle emotions are passed through these symbols. For example, the dash and ellipsis in this sentence can show that the speaker is so sad that he can't say the complete sentence. At the same time, it also leaves the readers with space for their own thinking.
new Isabel
The word "new" appears a lot of times in the novel:Marriage A-la-Mode. So I guess this is a key word~And here the phrases--new Isabel,makes me wonder how a old Isabel like? I think this is a pretty interesting detail~
I
This novel has a very unique narrative method. This novel uses the first person narrative perspective —"I", which allows the reader to observe everything through the experience of the characters in the story, so we can more directly contact the detailed and complex inner activities of the characters.
Would you—do you care to come to tea with—us
The dash here indicates that "I" hesitated, and my role is very cautious in taking care of this young girl. At the same time, I found that punctuation plays a very important proportion in emotional expression. So when doing text analysis, we can focus on punctuation.
“I’ve forgotten too.”
This ending is very ironic and very thought-provoking. These two girls are like two empty dolls with no independent opinions. They are a lack of personality, probably because of their father's oppression. I really like the theme that the author wants to convey!
“Because,” said Constantia slowly, “he must often have to go to funerals. And I noticed at—at the cemetery that he only had a bowler.” She paused. “I thought then how very much he’d appreciate a top-hat. We ought to give him a present, too. He was always very nice to father.”
This short story is very interesting from the beginning, so readers can't help but read it down. The father’s funeral took place at the beginning, so that the novel did not have too much background introduction and went straight to the theme!
—
I noticed that a lot of dashes and ellipses were used in this article to convey the subtle psychological activities of the characters. This is a very interesting writing technique. I think we can analyze the frequency of use of these punctuation marks and the accompanying characters, words and so on to understand the text !
, to think that she and Constantia had done this thing without asking his permission.
As can be seen from the above, the two girls are psychologically ill and behave strangely. From some details, it can be seen that the reason is closely related to the role of the father. When the father died and the funeral was held, the girls were still worried that there wasn't "ask father's permission". It was so shocking! A father who is too strict may be the region of this tragedy!
loved giving orders to the servants, and they loved obeying her. She always made them feel they were taking part in some drama
Jose-- an upper class lady who like to give orders-- is the epitome of many rich people in the upper class. So I think i can see the motif:Class contradiction. At the same time, the word “drama” is very ironic，implying that the life of the rich people in the upper class is just like a stage play / performance.
silver star
I have to say that Laura is a pretty cute girl with great imagination. This metaphor is soooo cute! I think we can analyze the objects that appear most commonly for each character to discover something interesting!
absurd class distinctions
From the text above ,I think this may be one of the topic about the novel ! And as for Laura,she "despised stupid conventions",I guess she is different from the regular rich guy ,full of kindness.
a sprig of lavender
The poor workman but can appreciate the smell about the lavender,the author may want to convey that may be they are poor but have good characteristics(much better than the "silly boys" whom the Laura dance to)
What was he thinking?
I am curious,too! And the "haggard look" suggests that something unusual is happening~
His smile was so easy, so friendly that Laura recovered. What nice eyes he had, small, but such a dark blue! And now she looked at the others, they were smiling too. “Cheer up, we won’t bite,” their smile seemed to say
The appearance descriptions of these workers are distinctly different from those of the previous hostess and her daughters. In the description, these workers give me a kind, helpful, and intimate feeling. (On the contrary, the hostess’s daughters make me feel indifference and superior)
copying her mother’s voice. But that sounded so fearfully affected that she was ashamed, and stammered like a little girl
That 's really cute! I began to fall in love with the little girl!
Laura wished now that she had not got the bread-and-butter, but there was nowhere to put it, and she couldn’t possibly throw it away. She blushed and tried to look severe and even a little bit short-sighted as she came up to them.
Laura's mental activities and behavior make me feel that she is a very attentive little girl (sometimes may think too much）——but because of it ,she can discover some small things ~
It’s so delicious to have an excuse for eating out of doors,
Well ,for me , eating outside is very normal,but the Laura regard it as a rare thing.，so I can infer that she has many rules to obey in her family~tutor may be very strict.
green turban
These descriptions of clothing are very special. A message can be seen from the words ：“green turban”、“silk petticoat ”and “ kimono jacket” - these people live a rich and elegant life.
The gardener had been up since dawn
This is a very interesting detail. The article said that the garden party was held in a very perfect weather by accident and the rose was opened all night, but the gardener started working from the “dawn”~
They could not have had a more perfect day for a garden-party if they had ordered it. Windless, warm, the sky without a cloud. Only the blue was veiled with a haze of light gold, as it is sometimes in early summer. The gardener had been up since dawn, mowing the lawns and sweeping them, until the grass and the dark flat rosettes where the daisy plants had been seemed to shine. As for the roses, you could not help feeling they understood that roses are the only flowers that impress people at garden-parties; the only flowers that everybody is certain of knowing. Hundreds, yes, literally hundreds, had come out in a single night; the green bushes bowed down as though they had been visited by archangels.
In this paragraph, the author uses very infectious sentences to describe the garden party was held in a very perfect weather. The author used a lot of good objects to convey the idea,such as" Windless, warm, the sky without a cloud ", "a haze of light gold", "daisy" , "roses" , "archangels".
(if I have not already mentioned that my Christian name is Drusilla, permit me to mention it now)
Miss.Clack's language expression has a strong religious color, often with many religious-related vocabularies. Although she always mentioned that she is very kind and considerable, her behavior is exactly the opposite, showing a strong irony.
Of myself, I have only to say that I awoke on the morning of the twenty-sixth, perfectly ignorant of all that I had said and done under the influence of the opium–from the time when the drug first laid its hold on me, to the time when I opened my eyes, in Rachel’s sitting-room.
I noticed that the narrative style of this part of Mr. Franklin is very different from that of the first time. The last narrative part of Mr. Franklin has many sentences that describe the scene and his own inner feelings. In this narrative part, the narrative style became happy and brief due to the misunderstanding with Miss.Rachel has been solved .Comparing the two parts before and after, I can see some interesting changes in the character's inner world! So i think it will be interesting to compare the two narrative parts of Mr.Franklin, and to see what can be found~
(with Gooseberry on the box to guide the driver)
I have found that different narrators have different contents in parentheses. Some narrators are more accustomed to expressing professional knowledge, while others prefer to supplement the details of the person's psychology and movements. I think this is a good aspect to analyze the text!
So the years pass, and repeat each other; so the same events revolve in the cycles of time. What will be the next adventures of the Moonstone? Who can tell?
I love the ending very much! These words make me feel that although the story of "Moonstone" has come to an end, there are still many wonderful things happening in the future, leaving the readers with imagination! At the same time, it also adds a lot of mystery to the object of "Moonstone"!
Next, as to the motive for the crime.
As a detective, Mr.cuff's expression reflects his professionalism! The words “first”, ”next” and so on reflect his logic and rationality.
MY OWN NAME
"MY OWN NAME" is all capital letters, which reflects Franklin's strong shock and panic after seeing the name! The thief Mr.Franklin is trying to find out may be himself!!This turning point is too ironic!
“there’s nothing in the letter against your letting out the secret afterwards.
Here, Betteredge is very witty. On the one hand, he strictly abides by Rosanna's wishes. On the other hand, he is frank that he can't suppress the "detective fever", suggesting that Franklin can tell him secretly later.
this strange creature
I think the word "creature" is very insulting! ! Perhaps overall, Mr. Franklin is an upright, kind person, but it is undeniable that he still carries the prejudice of the British upper class at the time.
A wan, wild, haggard girl, with remarkably beautiful hair, and with a fierce keenness in her eyes,
This character has many similarities with Rosannna, although she is not very beautiful, but without the flaws, she still has special charm! Personally, I prefer this type of character to the perfect heroine——such as Miss.Rachel!
(with a strong emphasis on GENTLEMAN)
Mr. Franklin is a thoughtful person who can realize all the details. Here his friend, Betteredge, put a strong emphasis on the gentleman man's pronunciation to make the girl respect him, and he keenly noticed it!
“I complain of a new disease, Mr. Franklin, of my own inventing. I don’t want to alarm you, but you’re certain to catch it before the morning is out.” “The devil I am!” “Do you feel an uncomfortable heat at the pit of your stomach, sir? and a nasty thumping at the top of your head? Ah! not yet? It will lay hold of you at Cobb’s Hole, Mr. Franklin. I call it the detective-fever; and I first caught it in the company of Sergeant Cuff.” “Aye! aye! and the cure in this instance is to open Rosanna Spearman’s letter, I suppose? Come along, and let’s get it.”
This conversation is very humorous, I like it very much! The slily servant invented the interesting "detective fever", and his friend Franklin also talked with him tacitly. This made me feel the wonderful friendship between them.
and an immense sensation of relief when the sun rose, and there was a prospect of getting up.
Mr. Franklin didn't sleep well all night, showing how much he was hurt by Miss. Rachel's attitude. (I still want to praise Mr. Franklin's language expression skills here! A few words, but describing he received good hospitality vividly,and also expressed his uneasy inner feelings secretly.
“Betteredge!” I said, pointing to the well-remembered book on his knee, “has ROBINSON CRUSOE informed you, this evening, that you might expect to see Franklin Blake?” “By the lord Harry, Mr. Franklin!” cried the old man, “that’s exactly what ROBINSON CRUSOE has done!”
From the two sentences of Mr. Franklin and Betteredge about Robinson, we can easily find their humorous character and are tacit with one another! .
My own eyes were full of tears. I was obliged to wait a moment before I could trust myself to speak to him.
In this sentence, Mr. Franklin did not say straightforwardly: “I was so exciting!”or something like that. But through the details of tears, refelecting the excitement of meeting with Betteredge, which is pretty vivid !
There he was–the dear old friend of the happy days that were never to come again–there he was in the old corner, on the old beehive chair, with his pipe in his mouth, and his ROBINSON CRUSOE on his lap, and his two friends, the dogs, dozing on either side of him! In the position in which I stood, my shadow was projected in front of me by the last slanting rays of the sun. Either the dogs saw it, or their keen scent informed them of my approach; they started up with a growl. Starting in his turn, the old man quieted them by a word, and then shaded his failing eyes with his hand, and looked inquiringly at the figure at the gate.
I noticed that the narrative part of Mr. Franklin has a distinct personal style. Compared with the other three narrators, he pays more attention to detail description, environmental description and psychological activity description. From his narrative style, it is easy to find that he is a well-educated person.
“Is it possible that you don’t see his motive, Mr. Bruff?” “I am ashamed of my stupidity, Mr. Murthwaite–but I certainly don’t see it.”
I am very ashamed, too. Because I am not very clear about the truth of the matter when I read it here. Therefore, the dialogue between Mr. Bruff and Mr. Murthwaite at this time indicates that they will explain the truth of the matter, which makes me very excited! It is worth noting that in this part, the dialogue between the two often takes the form of question and answer , step by step, and slowly approach the truth ！
Miss Verinder had her own private reason for breaking her marriage engagement–and I was at the bottom of it. Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite had his own private reason for withdrawing all claim to the hand of his charming cousin–and I discovered what it was.
The lawyer set a suspense at the beginning of the second narrative, telling the reader that he completely mastered the reasons for Miss.Rachel and Mr.Godfrey to dismiss the marriage contract, which aroused the reader's interest . This is a very clever writing skill to appeal to readers!
Every human institution (justice included) will stretch a little, if you only pull it the right way. The worthy magistrate was an old friend of my lady’s, and the Indians were “committed” for a week, as soon as the court opened that morning.
There is a clear irony here! These Indians were imprisoned by the "worthy" magistrate without any evidence of guilt, revealing the decay of the upper classes of British society at the time.
Miss Rachel was nothing like so mad after them as most young girls.
This is a stepping stone. After the diamond is lost, Rachel is very anomalous, suggesting that there may be another hidden feeling.!
You have heard of beautiful young ladies falling in love at first sight, and have thought it natural enough. But a housemaid out of a reformatory, with a plain face and a deformed shoulder, falling in love, at first sight, with a gentleman who comes on a visit to her mistress’s house, match me that, in the way of an absurdity, out of any story-book in Christendom, if you can! I laughed till the tears rolled down my cheeks. Penelope resented my merriment, in rather a strange way. “I never knew you cruel before, father,” she said, very gently, and went out.
The performance of father and daughter is in stark contrast，which is really ironic. The father is loyal, kind, but stupid and narrow. The daughter seems to be a perfect character - kind, simple, brave, and witty (interestingly, what the daughter said seems to be gradually confirmed). By the way, love doesn't need a good match on the look. This is a prejudice. Anyone is qualified to pursue love!
(just as her late mother used to get in my way on the stairs)
The part in this bracket is the same as the previous one. I am not sure if it is possible to associate that the narrator and his wife still have love between them, and the thoughts are revealed in these details!
HIM
The uppercase and lowercase of words are noteworthy things in this novel. They are often associated with proper nouns or author emphasis. Here, the interaction with the readers is enhanced, and the characteristics of the narrator are highlighted.
No! it won’t do to set off yet. I am sorry again to detain you; but you really must hear the story of the sands, and the story of Rosanna–for this reason, that the matter of the Diamond touches them both nearly. How hard I try to get on with my statement without stopping by the way, and how badly I succeed! But, there!–Persons and Things do turn up so vexatiously in this life, and will in a manner insist on being noticed. Let us take it easy, and let us take it short; we shall be in the thick of the mystery soon, I promise you!
This part is pretty interesting! I love that ,too! Repetitively rendering the atmosphere from the perspective of the narrator, emphasizing that the storyline that follows is very interesting and important.It implies that there must be some clues in the next part~
My daughter Penelope has just looked over my shoulder to see what I have done so far.
This is a transitional part, with the words of the daughter to hint at the end of the background, and the official story begins~
When I wanted to go up-stairs, there was my wife coming down; or when my wife wanted to go down, there was I coming up.
On the surface, this detail seems to have nothing to do with the whole story of the novel, but it makes the novel more vivid. It also reflects the character, loyal but a bit stupid and numb~
ROBINSON CRUSOE
The feature of reading Robinson Crusoe not only shapes the three-dimensional fullness of characters from small details, but also gradually promotes the progress of the story. At the same time, it links with the existing literary works and increases the credibility of the protagonist's narrative！
Diamond
The diamond here is "the moonstone", it is a clue to the novel. The layout of the relationship between the characters, the unfolding of the story, and the expression of the subject matter revolve around this main object. And “the moonstone” itself, as a sacred object of Hinduism, adds a bit of mystery and religious interest to the novel~