Genre
literary fiction
Setting and Context
England and Ireland, end of 19th century
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Lord Glenthorn;
Point of view: first person
Tone and Mood
Tone: cynical, humorous;
Mood: adventurous
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Lord Glenthorn; Antagonist: there is not real antagonist of the novel
Major Conflict
To try to recover from ennui, an illness of indolence and depression, Lord Glenthorn decides to visit his estate in Ireland.
Climax
Glenthorn Castle is in ruins and Lord Glenthorn is finally making his own living with the woman he loves.
Foreshadowing
Ellinor's deep affection for this man whom she nursed for a short period of time should serve as a foreshadowing to their more significant connection.
Understatement
Lord Glenthorn, although his depression is real and warranted, always understated his power and wealth, which could have opened many doors for him, doors which, as his wealth disappeared, he desperately wanted to open.
Allusions
"Like Montaigne and his sausage, I had now something to complain of, and I was happy."
Imagery
The imagery of the Glenthorn Castle as a grandeur place and representation of wealth and power heightens the protagonist's sense of disconnect to the world and goes in favor of his ennui.
Paradox
"...and I found it most easy to believe what I heard, though it was in direct opposition to what I saw."
Parallelism
"When these dashers and loungers found that I was not always at their disposal, they discovered that Glenthorn had always something odd about him; that Glenthorn had always a melancholy turn; that it ran in the family."
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"young vagabonds in rags"-educated men who haven't had an opportunity to put their education to use.
Personification
N/A
