Fleetwood Literary Elements

Fleetwood Literary Elements

Genre

Novel

Setting and Context

Set in the late 17th century

Narrator and Point of View

Third-person narrative

Tone and Mood

The tone and mood are neutral

Protagonist and Antagonist

The central character is Casimir Fleetwood

Major Conflict

The climax is when Fleetwood divorces his wife, Mary, on the grounds of unfaithfulness.

Climax

The climax comes when Fleetwood discovers that Gifford lied about his wife’s sexual affair with Kenrick. Fleetwood apologizes and writes his will to favour his wife, son and Kenrick. Later, Gifford is killed in a highway robbery.

Foreshadowing

His spoiled upbringing foreshadows Fleetwood's troubles in marriage.

Understatement

Gifford’s jealousy against his brother Kenrick is understated. For instance, Gifford goes to the extent of false accusing his brother of having a sexual affair with Mary.

Allusions

The story alludes to sibling rivalry and inheritance.

Imagery

The imagery of marriage shows readers that the union between Fleetwood and Mary is not based on intimacy. Fleetwood was brought up as a spoilt child, and he cannot deal with minor marital issues. Therefore, he mistreats and punishes his wife for minor mistakes.

Paradox

The main paradox is sibling rivalry, in which Gifford is determined to taint the image of his brother, Kenrick, so that he can be the sole inheritor of Fleetwood's estate. For instance, Gifford falsely accuses his brother of having an affair with Fleetwood's wife.

Parallelism

There is parallelism between Gifford’s behavior with daily life.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

The estate is personified as noble.

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