The Saga of Gosta Berling Literary Elements

The Saga of Gosta Berling Literary Elements

Genre

Novel

Setting and Context

The book is set in the early 1920s in the context of Berling’s life outside the church.

Narrator and Point of View

First-person point of view

Tone and Mood

Desperate, Hopeless, Pessimistic

Protagonist and Antagonist

Berling is the hero and protagonist of the story.

Major Conflict

The major conflict occurs when Berling almost freezes to death after his drinking habit. Berling resolves to alcohol and hopeless life after being deprived of his position in the church as a priest.

Climax

The climax occurs when Ekeby’s servants rebel against her because they do not have any power to determine their fate.

Foreshadowing

Defrocking of Berling from the priesthood foreshadows his hopeless life after that.

Understatement

Ekeby’s effort to rescue Berling is understated. Instead of being thankful, he later leads a rebellion against her.

Allusions

The story alludes to the consequences of misbehavior and defiance of responsibility.

Imagery

The sounds of the town depict the imagery of hearing.

Paradox

The main paradox is the rescue of the protagonist by Ekeby. Instead of remaining loyal to his life, he leads a rebellion against her.

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

‘The man of the cloth’ is a phrase that shows the purity of the priests. Any man who misbehaves while serving as a priest is defrocked.

Personification

N/A

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