Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
Third-person narrator
Form and Meter
Robertson uses unconventional form and meter
Metaphors and Similes
"They enter the narrative as I have entered books."
Alliteration and Assonance
"To those whose city is taken give glass pockets. To those whose quiver gapes give queens."
Irony
Robertson often depicts Virgil as an ironic figure; for example, she describes how Virgil strolls through the library with suave.
Genre
Epic poem
Setting
One of the poems in this collection is set in library.
Tone
The poems are often whimsical and abstract.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of this collection is Debbie.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in this collection is to find an understanding of different concepts such as narrative and femininity.
Climax
Each poem has its own climax. For example, in the poem about narrative, the climax is when Debbie is abstracted, and the speaker asks the reader to imagine themselves as Debbie.
Foreshadowing
The importance of Debbie is foreshadowed with the title.
Understatement
Robertson argues that the female perspective has been largely understated in literature.
Allusions
Robertson alludes to Virgil, who famously wrote The Aeneid.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The narrative is described as "watching."
Hyperbole
Virgil is described using hyperbole and is depicted as being one of the great figures of literature.
Onomatopoeia
N/A
