EYES OF THE DRAGON STUDY NOTES
Eyes of the Dragon Notes
TECHNIQUES
-King's handling of point of view is distinctive in this novel. The story is told by a colloquial, first person narrator who tells the story from a thirdperson, omniscient perspective: that of the storyteller.
-This storyteller takes pains to distinguish his role from that of the historian; he gives personal asides, alludes to certain "familiar" events in the future, and encourages the reader to notice Flagg's evil, Thomas' deception and ultimate courage, and Peter's goodness.
- The narrator's storytelling technique engages the reader by means of open-ended chapters and leading questions, much in the manner of an oral presentation.
-The storyteller also challenges his audience to either judge or withhold judgment of the characters.
-This familiar, engaging tone requires the attention and interaction of the listener. The Eyes of the Dragon is not a fairy tale for children, but an oral performance for both children and adults.
-The text itself consists of almost a hundred and fifty short chapters. The first thirty present the main characters through humorous and seemingly incidental events. This lengthy build up forecasts main elements of the major action: Peter's betrayal, Flagg's deceit, and Thomas' cowardice.
-The novel's conclusion rights all the wrongs, in the manner typical of traditional fairy tales. But King's style adds tremendous tension to the traditional ending through the revelation of Flagg's horribly demonic nature and the heroic and surprising salvation of Peter. The story remains open, anticipating a sequel.
STYLE
-point of view of this novel = first person omniscient.
-The author moves from character to character, always knowing what each character is thinking or knowing and able to move in time with absolute knowledge of both the past, present, and future of each of his characters.
-The author uses the authorial voice in which he speaks for himself throughout the novel,
TECHNIQUES
-King's handling of point of view is distinctive in this novel. The story is told by a colloquial, first person narrator who tells the story from a thirdperson, omniscient perspective: that of the storyteller.
-This storyteller takes pains to distinguish his role from that of the historian; he gives personal asides, alludes to certain "familiar" events in the future, and encourages the reader to notice Flagg's evil, Thomas' deception and ultimate courage, and Peter's goodness.
- The narrator's storytelling technique engages the reader by means of open-ended chapters and leading questions, much in the manner of an oral presentation.
-The storyteller also challenges his audience to either judge or withhold judgment of the characters.
-This familiar, engaging tone requires the attention and interaction of the listener. The Eyes of the Dragon is not a fairy tale for children, but an oral performance for both children and adults.
-The text itself consists of almost a hundred and fifty short chapters. The first thirty present the main characters through humorous and seemingly incidental events. This lengthy build up forecasts main elements of the major action: Peter's betrayal, Flagg's deceit, and Thomas' cowardice.
-The novel's conclusion rights all the wrongs, in the manner typical of traditional fairy tales. But King's style adds tremendous tension to the traditional ending through the revelation of Flagg's horribly demonic nature and the heroic and surprising salvation of Peter. The story remains open, anticipating a sequel.
STYLE
-point of view of this novel = first person omniscient.
-The author moves from character to character, always knowing what each character is thinking or knowing and able to move in time with absolute knowledge of both the past, present, and future of each of his characters.
-The author uses the authorial voice in which he speaks for himself throughout the novel,