Language and structure of the 19th century novel

In a nutshell

Literature exam questions usually include a short extract from a novel and ask you to analyse the use of language and structure. In this summary, you'll learn about the language and structure of 19th century novels. Take your time when reading, pay attention to the terms used and then practice with the exercises.

Language

When analysing language in a text, you have to pay attention to the narrative voice, what type of speech the characters use and how they achieve descriptive language.

The narrative voice

Foremost, pay attention to the tone. If the novel is written in first-person, the tone helps us understand the protagonist. Are they friendly? Authoritative? Formal or colloquial? Even if the novel is not written in first-person, the tone of the narration still reflects the authorial voice (the voice of the author).

Example

In A Christmas Carol it feels like you are being told the story directly, whereas, Pride and Prejudice has a more detached voice, usually with an ironic and amused tone.

Types of speech

A way to show different characters are speaking is to give each of them a slightly different speech. This speech can be a particular slang or a dialect, they may use language in a comic way, be very formal or have peculiarities in the way they speak.

Speech can tell us a lot about the characters. 

Example

Sherlock Holmes uses a lot of technical terms, which gives us the impression that he is very smart and knowledgeable. 

Descriptive language

In the same way that a poet uses literary techniques to create an atmosphere, so does a novelist. In the 19th century, some of the most used techniques were alliteration, assonance, providing the reader with a lot of detail, onomatopoeia, symbolism and imagery.

Examples

• Stevenson uses a lot of detail when he describes where Hyde lives in Soho.
• Austen, in Pride and Prejudice, uses far more abstract nouns than concrete ones: this makes sense because her prose deals mostly with abstractions, ideas and feelings.
• Brontë uses the chestnut tree in Jane Eyre to symbolise Jane and Rochester’s relationship.

Structure

Most stories follow a similar structure, but novelists tend to arrange their narratives in different ways. Let’s see how the following 19th century novels deal with structure:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein begins with a series of letters from one of the characters, this lead us to the story of Victor Frankenstein (the doctor), which then leads us to the creature’s story. In the end, the narrative goes back to the opening letters. Using multiple narratives was very common in the Gothic genre. It made the stories seem distant, almost like a myth. 

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by ​Robert Louis Stevenson

​Following Gothic tradition, this novel also uses letters and multiple narratives. For most of the novel we follow Utterson’s point of view, but in the last two chapters, Dr Jekyll and Dr Lanyon narrate their experiences from their perspectives.

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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Brontë writes Jane's story in chronological order. The narration follows her from her aunt’s house to Lowood school, then Thornfield Hall, then Moor House and back to Thornfield Hall. Each of the five settings represent five stages in Jane’s development. 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This novella is divided in chapters or staves and each one deals with a different ghost (past, present and future). The power of the spirits also allows the author to use flashbacks and flash forwards that are shown to Scrooge, the main character.