Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
London, 1800s as the first women's movement is impacting the country
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told primarily from the point of view of Gertrude Lorimer.
Tone and Mood
Inspiring and feisty, challenging, sad
Protagonist and Antagonist
Gertrude is the protagonist. Sidney Darnell is the antagonist as he is leading her sister on, all the while keeping quiet about the wife that he already has.
Major Conflict
There is conflict within Gertrude. She wants to have love and happiness, but is frightened that it won't last and so rejects it all together. She is angry with herself and conflicted over her decision to reject Lord Watergate.
Climax
Lord Watergate returns, to try to convince Gertrude to trust in him and marry him. She agrees and they marry, going on to have a happy life together.
Foreshadowing
The death of the sisters' father foreshadows their descent into poverty and the necessity to make their own money.
Understatement
Lord Watergate calls Darnell a scoundrel, which is an understatement. He has treated Phyllis very cruelly, he has used her as a model and blackened her reputation, and he has cheated on his wife by asking Phyllis to accompany him to Italy.
Allusions
The novel alludes to many of the key artists of the day.
Imagery
There are many images created for the reader. One of the most powerful is the vision of Lady Watergate in death. She is pale and the room feels oxygen-less. Her husband also sits silent and motionless as a corpse. This creates a visual image for the reader but in some ways uses our senses of smell and hearing as well, because the silence is so loud it is almost audible, and the lack of air in the room can be smelled.
Paradox
Gerty wants to be happy, but is frightened of happiness, in case she loses it again. So she would rather never have happiness than have it but lose it.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the old fashioned way in which Fanny sees the roles of the genders and the way in which men continue to see them.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The art community is a phrase that is much-used in the book. This phrase is used rather than listing the artists and socialites by name individually.
Personification
No specific examples in the book
