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Macro-componential analysis “W.S.”:

The text under analyses is the extract from the novel “From W.S.” by outstanding English
novelist and the son of a solicitor was educated at Oxford’s College and for more than twenty years
he was a fiction viewer for magazines. He wrote many novels and made a good contribution to
English fiction. According to his novels films were created. Hartley was a highly skilled narrator
and we can see that in his literary work “W.S.”
The text belongs to the belles-lettres style, emotive prose. It’s genre is epic. The text is entitled
“From W.S.”.
The title: focused the reader’s attention on the most relevant detail (we may guess that there will
be a letter from somebody); serves as a means of foreshadowing (it unites the components of a story
to form a whole); serves as a means of foreshadowing (it orients the readers towards the story). This
extract could be characterized by great narrative facility, an ironic point of view and an astonishing
understanding of human nature.
The title “The Escape” doesn’t speak about anything. It is very abstract and the reader wouldn’t
understand about what W.S. the author tells about before he reads the story. The text is given in the
3rd person narrative. It is more objective, because the narrator don’t filter the events through his
personal perception and don’t present them as he feels them. And also this kind of narration is less
emotional. This form of narrative offers the most objective view of a story because neither the
narrator nor the reader are participants.
Even in third-person narrative where subjective thoughts and feelings are known, they are
generally contextualized by the thoughts and feelings of other character. It is impossible to say who
is the narrator in this extract, thus the conclusion may be made that the narration is anonymous.
Thought, the reader is made to feel the author’s attitude towards the main character and the event
described in the passage with the help of numerous stylistic devices which will be commented upon
further. This third-person narration is interlaced with psychological and logical reflection of the
main character. Also we can observe non-personal direct speech.
A close study of the story for the purpose of examining its style involves a careful observation
and a detailed description of the language phenomena at various levels. There are such forms of
narrative as: narration, dialogues, monologues, descriptions.
The story is interlaced with the great number of descriptive passages and a few dialogues. The
author makes use of long and complicated sentences as well as simple ones. The author mainly uses
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past tenses, but present – in dialogues. The theme of this text may be formulated in the following
way: “What is a value of the writer’s art?” The author uses a lot of thematic words, such as:
novelist, postcard, critical, strangers, anonymous and others. Besides the basic theme the text
touches upon many very important secondary themes: Who may judge gifted person is or not?
What is the influence of other people’s opinion?
What can we do with anonymous letters?
How dangerous the problem of split personalities?
In his work realistic of life, keen character descriptions, and interesting plots are combined with
beautiful, expressive language and a simple, clear style.
The plot of the story is quite simple, though interesting. The extract under consideration tells
mysterious story of writer, Walter Streeter, who was receiving strange postcards from anonymous
addresser. There postcards didn’t content any explicated threat, but the tone was criticizing and
ironical, which made Walter feel uneasy. He consulted his friend, who supposed that this could be a
woman-lunatic, and finally went to police, but this didn’t help him to disclose a secret. The extract
is divided into 4 logical parts, according to the number of received post cards:
The 1st logical part is the receiving the first postcard about Scotland. The author shows the
general problem of the story, also giving a few examples. The key-words of this part are: postcard,
books, be interested in, admirer, to enjoy, novelist and other.
The 2nd logical part is about the second post-card from Berwick-on-Tweed and the consideration
about the stranger – whether it is he or she. The key-words of this part are: to sound rude, stories,
otherworldly, borderline case, to plump for one word or the other, curiosity.
The 3rd part is about the third post-card from York Minster and about writer’s interest in
cathedrals: cathedrals, churches, megalomania, youthful fantasies, parish churches, initials.
The 4th part is about the fourth post-card from Coventry and bout the writer’s arrangements. The
key-words of this part are: to get nearer, to advise, stopping-places, alienist, poisonpen.
The atmosphere of the text is not homogeneous, because the text maintained more than one
key. The narration is interrupted by the elements of description; inner thoughts and feelings of the
main character are imperceptibly interwoven with the narration. The prevailing mood of the text
sometimes is sometimes ironical and pessimistic, not bright, cheerful and sometimes is dramatic in a
way.
There are emotionally-coloured words, such as: admirer, otherworldly, plain, fruitful, split
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personalities, panic, alienist.

Among picture-making verbs are: to write, to ignore, to pay attention to, to bring oneself, to
receive, to sound, to advice.
The author keeps the reader’s attention in suspense. He forces the reader sometimes to
sympathize with the writer. There is one main character in the text – Walter Streeter a d several
secondary characters – the stranger, writer’s friend and a policeman.
The main character is complex and is given in dynamics. He undergoes changes and growth, he
reveals various sides of his personality and he is self-revealing. The author uses direct and indirect
means of characterization. The author shows the character in actions, lets us hear him, watch him
and evaluate him for ourselves. The author also uses background information of main character, but
he doesn’t give the outer description. The main attention is given to the psychological state of the
writer. The main purpose if this detailed description of changing state of Walter is to force readers to
think further about his fate. Probably he was a person with split personality, a kind of lunatic, who
send post-cards to himself. The stranger is a secondary character of the story.
This character appears through the post-cards, the manner of writer. According to the writer’s
thoughts, this character reveals he’s different sides. But this character is flat/simple character,
because he/she doesn’t undergo changes and doesn’t reveal various sides of her personality.
In the text there are the external and internal conflicts. The external one is between Walter
and stranger, Walter and his friend, policeman. And the internal/psychological conflict is inside the
writer. He doubts who is the stranger, it is good or not to read letters from anonymous stranger. The
text makes easy reading.
The movement is both psychological (because there’s an internal conflict) and physical. There
is the alteration of events. As for the presentational sequencing in this text – there are suspense
(some important information is heed till the moment best suited to author’s mention). The author
uses flashbacks (references to the past in order to characterize events and characters better) and
foreshadowing (indication of future events).
In this text a straight-line-narrative-technique is present, because all the events are given in the
chronological order.
There is the pictorial form of presenting of events, because this text contain minimum of
dialogues and maximum of narration. And the viewpoint from which the events are given is
dominant, because one character and his thoughts dominate in the text. There are only his
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viewpoints. The reader has a chance to choose one of them or formulate his own point. Hartley
wants the readers to draw their own conclusion about the character and events described in his
extract.
The plot structure is open, because not all constituencies are present. There is no exposition. The
complications starts with the first port-card in which the author describes anonymous admirer and
through writer’s thoughts we may guess about the situation in the text and about main character’s
life, then the climax, when Walter begin to ponder his personality and the problems those may be.
Moreover, in that moment the reader becomes interested in results of receiving these post-cards. In
addition, the author keeps the reader in pressing anticipation till the end of the extract, but there is
no denouement.

Mini-componential analysis:
The author uses in this text a number of lexical and stylistic devices, which helps to create the
appropriate atmosphere. He employs a lot of expressive means and stylistic devices to make the
story interesting, exciting and picturesque. The text is emotionally moving, and some details
produce an emotional reaction. There are a lot of epithets, metaphors and others. The first one,
which strikes the eye, is anaphora. It’s used very widely in order to improve emphasis on some
facts: “You have always been interested in Scotland, and that is one reason why I am interested in
you”. “But the words came haltingly, as though contending with an extra-strong barrier of self-
criticism”.
Moreover, as the days passed he became uncomfortably aware of self-division, as though
someone had taken hold of his personality and was pulling it apart. “I know you are interested in
cathedrals. I’m sure this isn’t sign of megalomania …I’m seeing a good many churches on my way
south… ”, “It was true that Walter Streeter was interested in cathedrals… And it was also true that
he admired mere size and was inclined to under-value parish churches”. “And was it really a sign of
megalomania? And who was W.S. anyhow?”. “They were Gilbert’s, they were Maugham’s, they
were Shakespeare’s… ”, “He tried to put the thought away from him; he tried to destroy the
postcard as he had the others”.
Besides, we can meet such an epithet in the text: “November fire – makes us be closer to the
time everything happened”, “the faint string of curiosity”. The last one is to describe the writer’s
state.
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“a wave of panic” to help for better understanding of emotional state of the character. The
author employs a range of short, exclamatory and interrogative sentences to make the inner dialogue
of the main character more vivid.
We come across metaphor: “fruitful conflict” – makes us guess the words and the deeds
following the conflict. A beautiful antithesis as “perfection of ordinariness” doesn’t let us calm to
Walter’s style. There are other examples of antithesis: me or not me, flattered and unsure.
The author uses simile with skill: “A woman, a little mouse-like creature, who had somehow
taken a fancy to him!” The main character of the story – Walter Streeter – gets the postcards with
messages from anonymous and starts thinking them over. The author uses simile “like other
novelists” to show that he is not the only one who gets such postcards. Walter was used to getting
communications from strangers, sometimes they were friendly, and sometimes they were critical.
Later it became important for the main character that he pondered over this and nothing else. He
starts to think is it a man or a woman. Here the author puts simile “it looks like man’s handwriting”
and the other “the criticism was like a man’s”, “on the other hand, it was like a woman to probe”.
The author also uses antonomasia (identification of human beings with things, which
surround them) – “Walter Streeter”; zeugma – “took up time and energy”; metonymy – “faint
strings of curiosity”; personification – “growing pains”; periphrasis – “conscious mind”, “little
mouse-like creature”, “poison pens”, many examples of inversion. As we see, the language of the
writer is very rich and full of various kinds of stylistic devices and that makes his story more vivid
and picturesque. Summing up the analysis it can be said that the text seems like a detective story
with a victim – the writer Walter Streeter.
In the end of the text the tone changes, it is still ironical, but there appears some serious
element. All these language means reveal the author’s manner, his style of writing. He renders his
feelings and thoughts with epithets, metaphors and so on.
The idea of the story is that if somebody begins to criticize you, you shouldn’t feel guilty and
look for problems in yourself.
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Macro-componential analysis “Form: RAGTIME”:

The text under analysis belongs to the belles-letter F.S. The substyle of it is an emotive prose.
The novel is written by E.L. Doctorow – an American writer, is famous for his novels, which
include “Welcome to Hard Times” and “The book of Daniel” which was nominated for a national
Book Award.
The author takes the position of an observer. He follows the events along with the reader. The
narration is omniscient and unobtrusive as he doesn’t interfere and doesn’t show his opinion.
The author presents the story in the third person narration. The advantage is an objectivity of the
narration. The disadvantage is that narration lacks emotions.
The title of the text is “Ragtime”. It disorients the reader towards the perception of the text but it
gives the artistic detail. The title is supposed to be the symbolic representation of the atmosphere,
which characterizes the scene of the novel. We may also notice abrupt changes from short sentences
to long ones, and then back again. And even feel the rhythm and the intonation of it the text.
There are several themes in this story. The 1 st theme may be represented as main character’s
attempts to bring back the trust of his lover towards him, while the 2nd – social, inequality, the racial
attitude of the white family towards the black ones.
The author writes about a black pianist whose name is Coalhouse Walker Jr. He wants to see his
beloved Sarah. He comes to the place where she resides but she refuses to meet him. Coalhouse
Walker tries to attract her attention. He comes to her house every day, tries to communicate with the
people who also live there and plays the piano for her to listen to him and talk to him. But while
others enjoy his playing Sarah only sits upstairs with her hands folded and listens with the door
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open.
The plot of the story is not very complicated but rather intriguing and keeping in suspense.
The text may be divided into 6 logical parts.
The title for the first logical part is “Coalhouse Walker Jr.” The keywords and phrases are
the following: “a new T-Ford 2”, “trying to find a particular address”, “a glover hand”, “a Negro”,
“Sahar”, “the woman in the attic”, “he colored man was respectful”, “mother”.
The 2nd logical part is entitled “The first visit”. The keywords and phrases are “to wait”, “the
girl Sahar”, “don’t want to see him”, “Sarah’s baby”, “as suddenly outraged”, “the black man was
kneeling”, “the coming of the colored man”.
“The next Sunday” is the title for the third logical part. The keywords and phrases are “next
Sunday”, “Coalhouse Walker Jr.”, “every week”, “father considered the visits nuisance ”,“ yellow
chrysanthemums”.
The 4th logical part may be entitled “Tea invitation”. The keywords and phrases are “took
tea”, “he suffered no embarrassment”, “courteous and correct”, “professional pianist”, “the Jim
Europe Clef Club Orchestra”, “what can you play”.
The 5th logical part can be entitled “Piano playing”. The keywords and phrases are “the
napkin”, “the piano stool”, “face reddened”, “Wall Street Rag”, “never made sounds”, “audience the
entire family”, “his nightlife period”, “he door open”.
The last logical part can be entitled “Another silence”. The keywords and phrases are
“everyone applauded”, “hook the black man’s hand”, “Carrie Jacobs Bond”, “coon song”, “minstrel
shows”, “another silence”, “not be able to receive me”, “the baby asleep”, “walked out of the door”.
As for the setting, it involves the time and the place of the events. The setting is dynamic and
it is given explicitly. We may see that the action takes place in United States of America as such
words as “New York”, “Manhattan” are mentioned. The time covers few weeks. We may guess the
season. By the words “a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums which in this season had to have cost
him a pretty penny”, we may say that it was a cold time of the year, may be it was winter. However,
this information is given implicitly.
The atmosphere of the text is homogeneous. The story is written in simple language. The
author uses common literary words so the text is easy to read. The author uses also some terms,
which describe the professionalism of the pianist: ragtime, rag, piano, tune, in need of a tune,
octaves, and keyboard.
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The tone of the story is formal, matter-of-fact, one can even say dry. Such style is called
telegraphic. To show some changes in the life of the characters the author uses mostly syntactical
devices. The whole text seems to be nothing but just illumination of actions (The black man placed
tea on the tray. He rose, patted his lips with the napkin, placed the napkin beside his cup and went to
the piano) but this way it becomes dynamic.
Speaking about the style, we may say that it is neutral. There are following characters in the
text: Coalhouse Walker Jr. is the main character, because he undergoes changes and development
because of an internal conflict.
In the climax of this story we see not a “Negro” – “White’s” slaves – but a cultural, self-
conscious good musician playing the piano which “had never made such sounds” in spite of the fact
“this piano is badly in need of a tuning”. These words made Father’s face reddened: “What? A
Negro dared say such words”. It was inconceivable for that period that such lowest society dared
say such things.
Sahar is the secondary character. The character is simple, because he doesn’t undergo changes
and development. The character has implicit means: the reader formulates his opinion about
character accumulating details from the text.
The Father and the Mother are simple secondary characters – the representatives of the Old
America – were disposed against Coalhouse Walker Jr. firstly. Nevertheless, when he left a bouquet
of expensive flowers, which had to have cost him “a pretty penny” – the Mother decided to give
him, chance. This extract is full of irony tone, which describes the negative attitude towards Black’s
at that time – Father’s consideration “a nuisance”, prevailing word combination “colored man” or
“Negro”, Father’s irritation and abrupt questions – w can feel the negative atmosphere of this
Avenue, of this Old World.
Having read the extract, we may point out the following conflicts: the external conflict, between
Sarah and the comer, and the internal conflict, inside Sarah, in her heart and soul. On the one hand,
Sahar loves Coalhouse Walker, on the other hand, she cannot forgive him and she suffers because of
it.
The form in which the text is written is dramatic (narration with direct speech). The author uses
the straight-line-narrative technique. The events are arranged in chronological order.
The composition consists of exposition, complication, climax and denouement. The exposition
gives us information about Coalhouse Walker, but this information scatters all throughout the
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extract. The complication gives us information about the situation referring to Coalhouse Walker
and Sarah.
The climax of the story is silence after Coalhouse Walker’s playing “There are another silence”,
the narrator says. This moment is the most tense. The last sentences form the denouement and so we
come to know that Sahar didn’t appear in front of Coalhouse Walker.
The Ragtime – the music of nightlife New York. This music in Coalhouse’s performance made
all the Family gather in the room. In this extract, we can see the personification of the end of
emancipation from slavery – “everyone applauded” – the new time had come – the time of freedom
and independence.

Micro-componential analysis “Form: RAGTIME”

In order to make the language of the story more beautiful the narrator uses such stylistic devices
as, for example: anaphora and parallel constructions for describing simple actions of The Mother:
“She told him to wait and closed the door. She climbed to the third floor. She found the girl Sahar…
” All actions are very strict and precise. Like some kind of a report.
The man decides to come to the kitchen where, in the warmth of the comer near the cook stove,
Sahar’s baby sleeps.
Metaphor “the warmth of the comer” shows us gentle, affectionate attitude of Coalhouse to this
child.
As Sahar refused to receive Coalhouse, he has to leave. Again, it’s viewed as the enumeration
of actions “The colored man took another glance at the child, rose, thanked her and departed”.
Judging by the inversion “such was the coming”, we may say that the family remained under
impression of Coalhouse’s visit. However, it wasn’t the last one.
“Begging with that Sunday he appears every week, always knocking at the back door. Always
turning away without complaint… ” here we find repetition “always” that emphasizes man’s
persistence and anadiplosis that created feeling of Coalhouse as a determined person.
One Sunday the colored man left a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums, which in thus season
had to have cost him a pretty penny. Meiosis “pretty penny” is used in order to underline that the
pianist spent a big sum of money to get the flowers.
When the Mother understands him to be a restful and rich man, she decided to invite him for
tea. We can find several historical allusions: Teddy Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington.
Coalhouse come for the tea and that’s when he tells about himself. To emphasize that he was
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tired of moving from town and order too much money the author use anaphora/parallel
constructions “I’m through travelling, he said … I’m though going on the road” and the unfinished
sentences “in through travelling… ”.
Then the family asks Coalhouse Walker to play. Again enumerations of actions; He rose, patted
his lips with the napkin, placed the napkin beside his cup and went to the piano. Antithesis: He rose
– He sat … polysyndeton: “He sat on the piano stool and immediately rose and twirled it till the
height was to his satisfaction”. Doctorow uses these devices to create the atmosphere which
characterizes the sense of the novel can remind the rhythm of ragtime.
Again, we find illusion: music references to Scott Joplin and his Wall Street Rag/Maple Leaf
Rag and Carrier Jacobs Band.
In the passage about Coalhouse’s play author uses epithets “robust composition; vigorous
music; mute and unforgiving Sahar and such similes as “melodies like bouquets” and “chords like
bouquets” prove that everybody in the house was inspired by the beauty of the piece of music
played by Coalhouse Walker and that they couldn’t remain indifferent to it.
Further, we see ending of the extract and it is in the same manner as was the beginning. Short
sentences. Enumerated actions. “Everyone was standing. Everyone applauded. There was a
silence. There was another silence”. Music changed his relations with the family in the whole and if
the whole and if Sahar is still silent he hasn’t left hope for her forgiveness.