Стилистический анализ текста: Oscar Wilde “The Sphinx Without a Secret”

The text under stylistic analysis is taken from the book “The Sphinx Without a Secret” by Oscar Wilde.

The story is told by the 1st person. The scene is laid outside the Caf? de la Paix. In the beginning of the story the author describes the Perisian life with the help of antithesis “splendour and shabbiness” and “pride and poverty” from these words we can understand how he sick and tired of these routine life.

But suddenly he heard the voice of his best college friend, Lord Murchison, whom he didn;t met nearly 10 years. The author describes the main character with a great sympathy “so handsome, so high-spirited, and so honorable”.

The author also notice that his friend changed very much: he looked anxious and puzzled and seemed was doubt about something. The author at once decided that it is somehow connected with a woman and he was right. But Gerald (it;s the main character;s name) answered that he doesn;t understand

women and author underline it with such saying “women are meant to be loved, not to be understand”. He understood that Gerald has a secret, “a mystery in his life”.

Then two friends went for a drive and then to the restaurant for a dinner. And only there Gerald showed a little silver-clasped morocco case where was a photo of a woman. To show the beauty of this lady author uses such epithets “slight”, “strangely picturesque”, “with large vague eyes” and comparison “she looked like a clairvoyant”.

I think that with all these wonderful stylistic devices author wanted to give us a hint that it was a light mystery around this lady. Then Gerald asked his friend what he is thinking about this lady.

The answer was that she has a secret and she is really beautiful we can see it from metonymy “faint smile that just played across the lips” and epithets “too subtle”, “really sweet”.


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Стилистический анализ текста: Oscar Wilde “The Sphinx Without a Secret”