I for Isobel Literary Elements

Realistic psychological novel; Bildungsroman

The story is set towards the middle of the 20th century, in suburban and Catholic communities in Australia. Witting is mostly unconcerned with historical context, but appears to set her novel in a time of political peace and career independence for young women.

Third-person narration that considers events exclusively from Isobel's perspective

-The tone of the narrative (and of Isobel's thought patterns) exhibits considerable variety. Overall, though, Isobel is a reflective and sensitive young woman, capable of moments of humor and irony: the wry yet earnest quality of the narration reflects her personality.

-The mood of the narrative tends to vary with Isobel's own perceptions of the world around her. For instance, the writing becomes tranquil when Isobel seeks solace in reading, tense when Isobel is confronted with her mother or with a difficult social situation, and blissful when Isobel experiences grace or makes new literary discoveries.

Protagonist: Isobel Callaghan; Antagonists: Isobel's mother (during Isobel's childhood), then unpleasant authority figures such as Mr Richard and Mrs Bowers (during Isobel's young womanhood)

Initially, the major conflict is when Isobel, as an imaginative and sensitive girl, must deal with her petty and violent mother. Later, the major conflict is when Isobel, as an independent young woman, must make a place for herself in the world (professionally and financially) and arrive at a satisfying lifestyle.

During a return to her hometown, Isobel meets Mrs Adams. This encounter leads to climactic revelations, the most dramatic being Isobel's new sense that she is a writer.

- Isobel's habit of prioritizing her connection to literature over her connection to other people, established in "The Birthday Present," foreshadows repeated instances of this tendency.
- The departures of other women from Mrs Bowers's boarding house (Rosemary, Madge) foreshadow Isobel's own departure.

- The entire conversation between Aunt Noelene and Isobel's mother (45-46) underplays or understates how much these two women genuinely dislike or resent one another.
- Near the end of the novel, Mrs Adams refers to Isobel's mother as "a strange woman" (176). To call Isobel's mother "strange" is to apply a weaker or more understated negative than this violent, selfish, and irrational woman apparently deserves.

Allusions to literary sources occur prominently in the descriptions of Isobel's self-education and intellectual development. Arthur Conan Doyle, Anthony Trollope, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and W.H. Auden are but a few of the authors she encounters. The novel also makes references to the contents of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (Margaret's school play) and of the Catholic mass: working knowledge of these sources is helpful for understanding I for Isobel.

Witting uses vivid and precise descriptions of rooms, possessions, and the physical appearances of her characters to explain how Isobel sees the world. With a few exceptions (such as the vision of Isobel naked with a book, as presented in the final section), Isobel herself receives little in the way of physical description. This arrangement is natural, since the reader sees much of the action through Isobel's eyes, rather than looking at Isobel from an outside perspective.

- Isobel's mother is a figure of authority, but in some ways is more needy and childish than her own daughter.
- Frank is a Communist, but through his work he perpetuates the capitalist business system that he claims to oppose.

- Isobel, in her state of grace, parallels a Catholic saint or Christ himself in her spirit of acceptance and benevolence.
- Trevor, who briefly attempts to become Isobel's actual boyfriend, is placed in parallel with Joseph, Isobel's imaginary boyfriend.

- The "boarding house" is used to refer both to the physical boarding house and to the tension-ridden miniature society (Mrs Bowers, Mr Watkin, and others) that inhabits the actual building.
- "Saturday" becomes a shorthand for the fulfilling intellectual experiences that Isobel has on this day of the week, following her discovery of the special group.

- Towards the end of the novel, Mrs Adams talks about Smoke with the affection that might normally be reserved for a human companion.
- Isobel treats books and imaginary characters as though they are living, consoling influences.