Plot Summaries of Eleonora

PLOT SUMMARIES OF ELEONORA
Eleonora is about an unnamed narrator and his love life. The narrator lives with Eleonora, his cousin and his aunt. Their valley is isolated from others and no strangers ever enter it. The narrator only knows Eleonora, his aunt and the valley. This valley is named as the valley of the colored grasses and it is described as a paradise of fragrant flowers, fantastic trees, and a "River of Silence”. They live there together for fifteen years before they realize that love has knocked their hearts. The valley represents the love, and its value to them. The conflict of the story is that Eleonora falls sick. Therefore, she is afraid that when death invites her, she needs to leave the valley. Moreover, she feels afraid that the narrator will leave the valley and fall in love with someone else. Thus, the narrator swears that he will never marry another woman for his entire life. After her death, the valley begins to lose its warmth. The narrator does leave the valley to a strange city and eventually falls in love with a woman. The narrator marries the woman without guilt. Soon, Eleonora appears from beyond her grave and gives the couple her blessing towards the couple.

EXPOSITION: The narrator lives with his cousin named Eleonora and aunt in "The Valley of the Many-Colored Grass," a place that full of fragrant flowers, fantastic trees, and a "River of Silence." It remains reserved from the footsteps of strangers, so they live isolated but happy.
INCITING INCIDENT: After living together for fifteen years, the narrator and Eleonora realize that they have falling in love.
RISING ACTION: Eleonora is sick and afraid that when death invites her, the narrator will leave the valley and fall in love with someone else. Therefore, the narrator swears that he will never marry anyone else.
CLIMAX: The narrator moves to a strange city and falls with a woman named Ermengarde after Eleonora’s death and marries the woman without guilt.
FALLING ACTION: Eleonora soon visits the narrator from beyond her grave.
DENOURMENT: Eleonora gives the couple her blessing.

THE OVAL POTRAIT
The story “The Oval Potrait” begins with Pedro (the valet) brings the injured narrator to an abandoned chateau. Pedro does not want the narrator to sleep outside. They enter the chateau. They force an entry and prepare for a night in one of the building's smallest apartments. The apartment has rich decorations such as tapestries, trophies, and paintings. However, the decorations start to decay. He takes deep interest on the paintings. Since it is midnight, he asks his valet, Pedro to close the shutters, light the candelabrum and open the curtain. Rather than sleep, he consults a book that he found on the pillow. The book describes the histories of the paintings. He studies the book until midnight. The position of the candelabrum displeased the narrator. So he is outreaching his hand with difficulty, rather than disturb her valet, Pedro to shift the candelabrum. He shifts the candelabrum to throw more light on the book. However, the candles movement reveals a portrait of young woman. It had been hidden in the dark near one of the bedpost. He gets an impulse to close his eyes and then open them once again to see it clearly in wakefulness. After that, he continues to observe the portrait before returning the candelabrum to its previous position so that he cannot see the painting vividly once again. He turns to page in the book that stated the story of the oval portrait. It explains that the picture was painted by an eccentric artiste and describes the woman as naturally cheerful and obedient wife. The wife does not like the idea of being the model for the painting but since she is obedient, therefore, she just follows her husband’s desire. The painter obsesses with his painting and he pays no attention to his wife that he was continuously painting although his wife is wasting away in the dark. The painter realizes that the painting is “this is indeed Life itself!” and he turns to his wife and discovers that she has died during his last few strokes of the brush.

EXPOSITION: Pedro the valet brings the injured narrator to a chateau. They force an entry and prepare for a night in one of the building's smallest apartments.
INCITING INCIDENT: He discovers paintings and takes a deep interest on them.
RISING ACTION: He asks Pedro to close the shutters, light the candelabrum and open the curtain. He finds a book that explains the paintings on the pillow. He consults the book until around midnight. Then he decides to shift the candelabrum to throw more light on the book.
CLIMAX: The candles movement reveals a portrait of young woman that had been hidden in the dark near one of the bedposts.
FALLING ACTION: He continues to observe the portrait before returning the candelabrum to its previous position so that he cannot see portrait. He turns to page in the book that stated the story of the oval portrait. It explains that the picture was painted by an eccentric artiste and describes the woman as naturally cheerful and obedient wife. The painter obsesses with his painting and he pays no attention to his wife that he was painting although his wife is wasting away in the dark.
DENOURMENT: The painter realizes that the painting is “this is indeed Life itself!” and he turns to his wife and discovers that she has died during his last few strokes of the brush.