Genre
A bildungsroman
Setting and Context
The events take place in a time period from 1888 to 1914 and are mostly focused on a life of Jacob Flanders.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is the third person omniscient from the third point of view.
Tone and Mood
Tone is worrying while mood is uneasy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Jacob Flanders is the protagonist, death is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
There are internal and external conflicts. The internal one is Jacob’s dissatisfaction with his knowledge, his life or himself in general. The external conflict is person vs. society, for Jacob is always happy to get as far away as possible from the society.
Climax
Jacob’s death is the climax of the novel.
Foreshadowing
The piece of sheep skull Jacob found on the beach and then took it with himself to his bed foreshadows his death.
Understatement
Probably, we are the only people in the world who know the Greek meant.
Jacob underestimates knowledge and sharpness of mind of other people, praising himself and his friends.
Allusions
The novel alludes to the Greek philosophers, the Elizabethans, the World War I.
Imagery
Imagery is widely used to depict nature and inner worlds of the characters.
Paradox
A tree had fallen, though it was a windless night.
A tree can’t just fall, it has to be either a dead tree or be broken or cut down. The falling of a strong tree is not only a paradox but also an ominous sign.
Parallelism
Oh God, oh God, oh God
Metonymy and Synecdoche
I will remove myself if you’ll kindly lend me a hand. (Metonymy)
A hand stands for help.
And extracted his glasses. (Synecdoche)
Glasses stand for spectacles.
Personification
The mowing-machine always wanted oiling.
