A.U.R.O.R.A. – Your Door To The Future.

Analysing Fiction

Text One
Read the following extract and answer the questions.
The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees
of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume
of the pink-flowering thorn.

From the corner of the divan of Persian saddle-bags on which he was lying, smoking, as was his custom,
innumerable cigarettes, Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-
coloured blossoms of a laburnum, whose tremulous branches seemed hardly able to bear the burden of a
beauty so flamelike as theirs; and now and then the fantastic shadows of birds in flight flitted across the
long tussore-silk curtains that were stretched in front of the huge window, producing a kind of momentary
Japanese effect, and making him think of those pallid, jade-faced painters of Tokyo who, through the
medium of an art that is necessarily immobile, seek to convey the sense of swiftness and motion. The sullen
murmur of the bees shouldering their way through the long unmown grass, or circling with monotonous
insistence round the dusty gilt horns of the straggling woodbine, seemed to make the stillness more
oppressive. The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

01. Match the words from the text with their meaning.
Odour speed
Lilac unmoving
Divan movement
Laburnum growing untidily
Tremulous shaking or quivering slightly
Flitted moody
Pallid climbing shrub with tubular flowers/ honeysuckle
Immobile a Eurasian shrub or small tree of the olive family
Swiftness smell
Motion day bed / sofa
Monotonous a low-pitched stop in an organ or harmonium
Sullen moved swiftly and lightly
Straggling a small European tree with hanging clusters of yellow flowers
Woodbine Pale
Oppressive Harsh / crushing
Bourdon dull, tedious, and repetitious
 02. Identify the rhetorical device used in the following expressions.

1. The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses

2. Lord Henry Wotton could just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-coloured blossoms of
a laburnum.
3. Fantastic shadows of birds in flight flitted across the long tussore-silk curtains
4. Branches seemed hardly able to bear the burden of a beauty
5. The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.

6. Decadence and wealth

03. Provide the exact quotation for the following.

1. Wilde’s language choices create an intoxicating sense of luxury

2. An act that shows the main character’s restlessness

3. Wilde uses a multi-sensory description that immerses the reader in the setting

4. The subtle use of alliteration adds to the sensual feel of the setting

5. References to a famous country and city of ancient art

6. These word choices create an unsettled atmosphere, despite the richness and luxury of the setting.

7. A multi-clause sentence

8. The character’s name suggests his high social status

9. Words that are contrasting to each other

How does the writer use language to create interest for the reader in this extract (10 marks)
Wilde’s language choices create an intoxicating sense of luxury and decadence, especially those words in the opening
sentences which engage the reader’s senses: “rich odour…heavy scent…delicate perfume…”. The repetition of ‘honey’
in the compound adjectives “honey-sweet and honey-coloured…” introduce a multi-sensory description that immerses
the reader in the setting. The subtle use of alliteration adds to the sensual feel of the setting: “…fantastic shadows of
birds in flight flitted across…”. The verb ‘flitted’ has connotations of being insubstantial, as does the word ‘tremulous’:
the reader is presented with the impression of shallow beauty. The alliteration of “bear the burden of a beauty…”
seems to further develop this sense of a beauty that seems weary.
The reader is intrigued by this aristocratic reclining figure; we are given no details about his appearance, it is as if the
writer wants the setting to reveal his character. The verb choices like ‘shouldering’ and ‘circling’ reinforce a sense of
restlessness, but there is also a more negative undercurrent that interests the reader: “…sullen…monotonous…
straggling…oppressive…”. These word choices create an unsettled atmosphere, despite the richness and luxury of the
setting. The final short sentence seems to deflate the mood further, contrasting the multi-clause sentence describing
the studio and garden with the “dim roar” of the city. The language choices imply that this character is restless, despite
the beauty and richness of his surroundings.

04. Fill in the gaps in the given table.

Device Definition Example Effect

A comparison made
"His home was his
without using 'like' or
castle."
'as'.

A comparison made "She had a smile like

using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to
the sunrise."
create a vivid image.

A type of imagery in
which non-human "The wind screamed
objects, animals or
through the trees."
ideas are given human
characteristics.

“rotten
Any repeated idea, apple…feverish heat…
theme or image that
plague of
has a symbolic
flies…sickened
significance in the text.
trees…”

Words, phrases or "Stephen tried and

ideas are repeated for tried and tried to get
effect. the ball in the net."

“Phoebe saw that the

garden was over-
flowing with
A number of connected
foxgloves, lupins,
items written one after
daisies, sun-flowers
the other.
and pretty weeds of
all shapes and
heights.”

The repetition of the "The suffocating

same sounds (mainly
steam filled the
consonants) usually at
room."
the beginning of words.

The sounds of words to "Howling, the cat

express or underline ran through the
their meaning. house."
Text Two
05. Read the following extract and fill in the boxes.

PEE paragraph about the Narrative Point of View and its effect

PEE paragraph about the Use of Tense and its effect

PEE paragraph about the Use of Different Sentence Structures and their effects
PEE paragraph about the Use of Rhetorical Devices and their effects.

06. Check your spelling skills. Rewrite the words correctly.

Word list A-E Word list F-Z

abandaning feirce

axceptable foriegn

acomodation independant

appricietion intresting

arguemant invisible

asesment jelous

atmosfear knowlege

beggining Grammer

beleive onomatofia

collectabal mischeif

conpromising neglegible

Conciet noticable

conclution permenant

conferming propotion

contentament recieve