The Crystal Cave Literary Elements

The Crystal Cave Literary Elements

Genre

Fantasy

Setting and Context

The United Kingdom, in the 1970s.

Narrator and Point of View

Merlin narrates the story in the first-person.

Tone and Mood

The tone is wonderful; the mood is mystical.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Merlin is the protagonist; the harsh elements is the antagonist.

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the novel occurs when Merlin first begins to be abused as he is very small for a child of his age; he is neglected.

Climax

The climax of the story is reached when Vortigen intends to sacrifice Merlin as a way of building the castle that he desires.

Foreshadowing

The invasion of Ambrosius is foreshadowed by the calling that Merlin issues.

Understatement

The role of the devil is understated throughout the novel.

Allusions

The story alludes to the power of magic and the fear surrounding it.

Imagery

The imagery of mystical beasts is present in the novel.

Paradox

The fact that Merlin is seen as weak, and yet is very strong is an example of paradox in the story.

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

The defeated beast is a metonym for the people that neglected Merlin as a child.

Personification

N/A

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