Genre
Fairy tale, Children’s story
Setting and Context
The Kingdom of Cornucopia
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person omniscient narrator
Tone and Mood
Light-hearted, slightly mysterious
Protagonist and Antagonist
King Fred is the protagonist, while Lord Spittleworth and the Ickabog are the main antagonists.
Major Conflict
The Ickabog is said to be roaming the Marshlands, and the king wants to be made famous by killing it.
Climax
The Ickabog Defense Force and the Ickabog face off while the prisoners from the dungeon attempt to take over the castle.
Foreshadowing
The role of the Ickabog in the Kingdom of Cornucopia is foreshadowed at the end of Chapter 2 when the narrator remarks, “They lived in the happiest kingdom in the world. What harm could the Ickabog do?”
Understatement
Lord Spittleworth’s maliciousness is understated at the beginning of the story, as we later see he is highly manipulative of King Fred and cruel to the people of Cornucopia.
Allusions
There are possible allusions to Christianity, and in particular the New Testament, though Rowling does not make them explicit.
Imagery
Rowling uses highly descriptive language, especially to describe characters when they are first introduced. This makes them more lifelike and memorable for young readers.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
Bert and Daisy parallel each other because they both lose a parent due to King Fred's vanity. Lady Eslanda and Captain Goodfellow parallel one another because both are clever and willing to stand up to Lord Spittleworth.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The Ickabog is described as looking and behaving in similar ways to humans.
