Genre
Picaresque novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, in France, Germany, and Italy
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of the protagonist, Jack Wilton.
Tone and Mood
Upbeat and triumphant in tone, the book has a mood that is joyful and satirical.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Jack Wilton is the protagonist; everyone he meets turns into an antagonist of whom he gets the better one way or another.
Major Conflict
Henry Howard is involved in a duel to defend the honor of his love, Geraldine
Climax
Jack and his love Diamante flee Italy for France, anxious to get away from what they see as the inherent debauchery of Europe.
Foreshadowing
The murder of Bartol foreshadows the revenge killing of the perpetrator, Esdras, by Bartol's brother Cutwolf.
Understatement
No specific examples; in fact, the book is hyperbolic in style and in plot content.
Allusions
The story alludes to the view within England at the time of the novel's writing of Italians, and their debauched lifestyles, sexual proclivity and over indulgence in food and alcohol.
Imagery
The imagery is very colorful, the author describing the costume of the characters and juxtaposing it with the color and the beauty of the Italian architecture so that the effect on the reader is quite overwhelming.
Paradox
Jack is a man who gallivants his way through life yet he is disapproving of the way in which Italians display their flamboyant nature and their tendency to over-indulge.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Wilton's view of Renaissance Italians and the writer's view.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"Italians" is the way in which the author describes the characteristics of every individual who happens to hail from that region.
Personification
N/A
