What Maisie Knew

What Maisie Knew Literary Elements

Genre

Novel

Setting and Context

England and France, late 19th century

Narrator and Point of View

Third person omniscient narration

Tone and Mood

Innocent, tragic

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist - Mrs. Wix, Antagonist - Ida and Beale Farange

Major Conflict

Maisie lacks stability, consistency, and love in her childhood, and seeks these things in many adult figures in her life as she is passed from home to home.

Climax

Maisie must decide whether to live with Sir Claude and Mrs. Beale or with Mrs. Wix., and she decides on the latter

Foreshadowing

James frequently hints at the future relationships of characters. For example, Maisie notes that Mrs. Beale and Sir Claude seem friendly and familiar with one another from their first meeting, hinting at their romantic relationship later in the book.

Understatement

There is often an understated tone regarding Maisie's parents' neglectful treatment of their child, since Maisie has never known anything different.

Allusions

Allusions are made to famous works of art witnessed by Maisie when she is taken to museums and to visit France.

Imagery

Maisie's parents and various guardians are described in great detail.

Paradox

Maisie feels that she at once has four parents and none, since her two biological parents and two step-parents often care more about feuding with one another than caring for her.

Parallelism

Maisie's parents and guardians exhibit similar behavior to one another, creating parallels in various chapters of Maisie's life.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Personification