The Bostonians Literary Elements

The Bostonians Literary Elements

Genre

Satire

Setting and Context

In Boston during Reconstruction (the period after the American Civil War)

Narrator and Point of View

The Bostonians is told from a third-person point of view.

Tone and Mood

The book is tense, romantic, and political.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Basil, Olive, and Verana are the protagonists of the book; feminism is the antagonist of the book.

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the book revolves around the struggle between Ransom and Olive for Verana's love and allegiance.

Climax

Verana and Ransom elope.

Foreshadowing

Verana and Ransom's eventual elopement is foreshadowed by the duo's interactions together while Ransom courted Verana.

Understatement

The strength of Olive and Verana's relationships is understated throughout much of the film because of public sentiment surrounding lesbian relationships at the time the book was written.

Allusions

Allusions are present to the feminist movement in the United States in the 1800s, the geography of Boston, the history of the Civil War and the U.S. more generally, and to the cultural norms and customs of the 1800s.

Imagery

As the relationship between the three main players intensifies, the imagery of music becomes more prevalent.

Paradox

N/A

Parallelism

The path that Ransom and Olive take to win Verana's love and allegiance is paralleled with each other.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Bostonians is used to refer to Olive and Verena.

Personification

The city of Boston itself is personified throughout much of the book and is given human-like characteristics.

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