Genre
Fiction, Sinister novel.
Setting and Context
The setting of the novel is Barcelona, Spain after the Spanish Civil War. It has been written in the context of saving books from being destroyed.
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator of the novel is Daniel who is also the protagonist of the novel. The story has been narrated from his point of view.
Tone and Mood
Sad, Optimistic,
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the book is Daniel while the antagonist is Coubert. Daniel tries to save the books while Coubert wants to burn them.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between Daniel and Coubert. Daniel is one of the initiates of the cemetery, who wants to save the books while Coubert is against saving books and he wants to burn all the books of Carax.
Climax
The climax comes in the novel when Daniel starts searching about the author of 'The shadow of the wind'.
Foreshadowing
Penelope's absence foreshadows her death. She doesn't come to meet Julian at the decided place because her father confines her in the room and it foreshadows her breakup with Julian and her own death.
Understatement
The understatement in the novel is that there is always a reason behind people's abnormal attitudes. For example Julian's actions are the result of his tragic fate. Another understatement in the novel is that books shouldn't be destroyed because they carry stories within them, which can affect our lives in many ways.
Allusions
There are allusions to love, hate, library, childhood, obsession of books, Odyssey, cemetery and gallery in the novel.
Imagery
There are images of prison, library, childhood, parental love, childbirth and death employed by the writer.
Paradox
The paradox in the story is that Penelope's father was involved in an affair with Julian's mother but he doesn't allow his daughter to marry the man she really loves. Another paradox is that Julian's tragic life becomes the basis for Daniel's happy life.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Daniel's attempt of saving the books and Coubert's urge to destroy all the books. Coubert is actually Julian himself and he wants to destroy the books because he mentioned his love for Penelope in the books.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
An example of synecdoche is 'Julian', Daniel's son, who represents the author of the book which was selected by Daniel to save.
Personification
Books have been personified in the novel.
