Genre
Philosophy
Setting and Context
Early portion of the Twentieth Century, putting philosophies of ancient times and prior historical ages into the context of what was then present day thought
Narrator and Point of View
Bertrand Russell is the narrator, and although he writes from his point of view he also manages to write as if his point of view if representative of the reader's
Tone and Mood
No particular tone or mood; discursive to argumentative
Protagonist and Antagonist
Russell is the protagonist and other philosophers who have gone before, as well as the questions they have left open, are the antagonists
Major Conflict
The chief conflict are philosophical and conceptual rather than actual conflicts between individuals. An example is the conflict between the principle of idealism and Russell's philosophy of empiricism
Climax
There is no actual climax in the traditional sense, but the climax to Russell's book would be the use of the principles set out in the first two thirds of the book to solve the problems of other philosophers
Foreshadowing
No examples in this book
Understatement
Russell agrees that his theories and philosophies are complex which is an understatement to anyone reading the book as a gateway to the subject of philosophy for the first time
Allusions
Russell alludes frequently to Plato and his theory of justice as a universal, and alludes throughout the book to other philosophers including Descartes, Berkeley and Hume
Imagery
No examples in this book
Paradox
There is a paradox in that Platonic theories on idealism and Russell's philosophy of empiricism are seen to be contradictory, yet Russell is a proponent of both
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Russell's philosophy of universals and Plato's idealism specifically pertaining to his philosophy of the universal nature of justice
Metonymy and Synecdoche
No specific examples
Personification
No specific examples
