Nightwood Literary Elements

Nightwood Literary Elements

Genre

Literature; Female sexuality

Setting and Context

Paris, Rome and Berlin in the 1920's.

Narrator and Point of View

An unnamed third-person, omniscient narrator.

Tone and Mood

The tone is of revolution and change; the mood is powerful and dynamic.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Nora Flood is the protagonist; society is the antagonist.

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the novel occurs when Nora Flood is invited to travel to Berlin with Felix Volkbein.

Climax

The climax of the story is reached when Nora meets Robin one night at a circus, and they start their relationship together.

Foreshadowing

Nora's freedom to express her love is foreshadowed by her liberal friends.

Understatement

The suppression of female sexuality is understated throughout the novel.

Allusions

The story alludes to the struggles of women to accept their sexuality, and then to celebrate it and achieve happiness.

Imagery

The imagery of Nora's exploration of her own sexuality is present in the novel.

Paradox

N/A

Parallelism

There is a parallel between Nora's love for Robin and the fierce passion that drives her to find Robin.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

The desperation experienced in the early 20th century by lesbian women is personified through Nora's journey.

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page