The Europeans Literary Elements

The Europeans Literary Elements

Genre

Fiction Novel

Setting and Context

Set in the 19th century in Boston and England

Narrator and Point of View

Third-person point of view

Tone and Mood

Informative and ominous

Protagonist and Antagonist

The central character is Eugenia and the antagonist is Robert Acton.

Major Conflict

A major conflict exists between American purity and European complexity or high culture.

Climax

The climax comes when Felix paints a portrait of Gertrude, which allows them to bond more than ever.

Foreshadowing

Gertrude’s portrait foreshadows Mr. Wentworth’s desire to be painted by Felix.

Understatement

Eugenia downplays the impact of abuse when she asks her brother to abuse her so that she can feel better. Eugenia tells her brother, “Reproach me and abuse me, I think I should feel better.”

Allusions

N/A

Imagery

The description of Eugenia depicts the sense of sight. The author writes, "She was not pretty." The imagery represents the perceptions of Europeans about American women. Europeans believe that American ladies are prettier.

Paradox

There is irony when Mr. Brand organizes the marriage between Gertrude and Felix. Initially, Mr. Brand wanted to marry Gertrude, but she rejected his offer.

Parallelism

There is a parallelism between Eugenia’s decision to go to German and Felix’s opportunity to marry Gertrude.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

The small cottage is personified as being lively and full of life.

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