Genre
Contemporary Fiction, Dark Comedy
Setting and Context
Modern-day London
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narration from the point of view of an omniscient speaker.
Tone and Mood
Offbeat, Violent, Grotesque, Foreboding
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Xan Meo and King Henry IX; Antagonist: Joseph Andrews and Clint Smoker
Major Conflict
The narrative has three storylines that run simultaneously each with its own major conflict but somewhat tied together. Xan’s storyline involves a violent attack that changes his personality as his life gets entangled with the criminal underworld and pornography. The story alternates with that of the royal family as King Henry IX is caught in the middle of a family scandal whilst his wife is in a coma. The other major conflict is the predicament the reporter Clint Smoker finds himself in after messaging with a fan. In the background, an airplane heading to New York is experiencing mechanical issues, as a comet is expected to pass close to Earth.
Climax
The narrative has no major climax per se but the different storylines have unexpected plot twists.
Foreshadowing
Xan’s attack at the beginning of the novel foreshadows the presence and consequences of male violence that is showcased throughout.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to the moral decline in both the private and public spheres in society by confronting pornography, sexism, and yellow journalism. It focuses on male violence and power and their influence on each other as they are passed down from generation to generation especially in families of tyrants.
Imagery
“The crystal moons, the mirrorballs, the space-squandering distances, the golden dome above the circling staircase – a brochure vivante for Atlantes. And down below, the marble streets of hairdressers, masseurs, of manicure and pedicure, of perfume and jewellery and haute couture.”
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
With the alternating storylines, Amis parallels the lives of the characters as they all share a tormented inner life despite their contrasting social status.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“As she rose, a cross-wind jolted her fiercely to starboard: a beast of the upper air had tried to seize her”
Personification
“The wind had departed – fled elsewhere.”
