Story Telling
Jeanette Winterson's usage of literary devices, lists made of threes and scene changes in her book The Battle of the Sun add a deeper layer to the book that helps the reader decipher the underlying meaning. Through her literary devices she is able to keep the writing easy to read as well as interesting. She also uses the magic number three to provide support for her main points and to show that there is something magical happening. The scene changes hand the spot light from character to character to give different views of the same occurrence.
When Winterson says, " BANG! went a goblin's head. CRASH! went an imp in a cart. MASH! went a pair of evil eight-legged things with beady eyes and nasty fur. SLASH! went her sword . . ." (352) her use of threes and onomatopoeia creates a vivid picture in the readers head of what is happening. Not only is the reader able to visualize what is happening, but he, or she, is also able to acquire another sense; hearing.
Winterson also uses a strong metaphor in her novel. "The Queen was on her feet, her lion heart alive with battle." (352) Not only does the reader know that the Queen is upset because of the fact that she stands up, but also because of the metaphor of her heart being alive and like a lions. The fact that the animal Winterson chooses is king of the forest and smart is no coincidence. She knows that a perfect way to convey how strongly the Queen feels about the battle is to compare her to something that doesn't back down in a fight; something that will do it's best to win.
The point of bringing in the Queen to the story line at all is not just to make a point about her drive in the battle. It is to show one of the many people that care for Jack. Winterson also brings, " . . . [a] brave little dog Max . . . [who] jumped out and landed on his feet. . . Mistress Split . . . [who] [sprang] off her one leg . . . [and] the Keeper of the Tides . . ." (352-353) to show all of the people who love him and are willing to risk their lives to help him, just like he risked his to help them.
Winterson's The Battle of the Sun, incorporates many different ways to show the reader instead of telling them, numerous techniques to draw the reader into the novel without giving too much information away and various literary devices to keep the pace of the novel where it needs to be for the exact scene. Without all of her detail, the story would not be anything special. It would simply be a story.
In response to your analysis of the excerpt you chose from The Battle of the Sun pages 351-353:
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed your presentation on Jeanette Winterson. Your analysis was very perceptive and, being a math person, I especially enjoyed your picking out the magical numbers of three and four, three being the number of perfection and four being the number of completion.
One thing I felt that you missed is in the second paragraph of the passage you chose where the Magus is riding alongside Jack trying to convince him to join the Magus and his infernal plans. In your presentation, when you showed this passage, it immediately leapt out at me that this is most likely an allusion to the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness. In the biblical story, which is found in Matthew 4:1-11, Satan “took [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you ,’ [Satan] said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:8-9, NIV). This use of the biblical allusion clearly sets the Magus along the path of evil and destruction and Jack along the path of righteousness, but beyond that, this allusion paints a picture in the minds of the readers of a power so great, a reign so everlasting, a dominion unlike any other being offered to Jack by the Magus (for what can compare to the splendor of all the kingdoms in the world, painted by the biblical passage, and the city of London being turned to gold, and subsequently, the world following?). This, along with Jack’s vehement and immediate refusal to join hands with the Magus, only serves to portray Jack as the perfect fairy tale hero, who has only one ending awaiting for him—the perfect fairy tale ending.