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“The Demon Lover” by Elizabeth Bowen Toward the end of her day in London Mrs. Drover went round to her shut-up house to look for several things she wanted to take away. Some belonged to herself, some to her family, who were by now used to their country life.
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Jul 9, 2022 · “The Demon Lover” lends itself to multiple interpretations. On one level, it is a modern ghost story, with its sinister revenant. The story has many features of a ghost story, or even of gothic: the atmospheric setting, seemingly supernatural coincidences of timing and place, a woman in peril, and the startling ending.
The Demon Lover Summary. It is late August during the Second World War, and Kathleen Drover has returned to her house in London. She has come to collect items she will bring back to her family, who are currently living in the countryside to avoid bombings in the city.
- Point of View
- Setting
- Symbolism
- Gothicism
The story is told in third-person omniscient narration, which gives thereader a godlike perspective, unrestricted by time or place, allowing thereader to look into the minds of the characters. The story focuses primarily onMrs. Drover’s perceptions. At times the narration switches to the first-personpoint of view, or the point of view of a certain ...
Setting is a particularly important aspect in “The Demon Lover.” The storytakes place in a house with “some cracks in the structure, left by the lastbombing” that is situated on a deserted street and gives an eerie atmosphere tothe story. This is intensified by descriptions of the humid day, Mrs. Drover’stension before the rain starts up again, and...
The structurally unsound house serves as a symbol of Mrs. Drover’s mentalstate. The constant bombardment has eroded the house’s stability, just as theconstant pressure of the war has worn on Mrs. Drover’s psyche. She cannotescape the effects of war when she enters the house, and the letter, signedwith her own initial, “K,” becomes a symbol of her r...
As suggested by the title, the story plays with the theme of the demonlover, the figure in gothic literature who comes back to take away hisunfaithful lover who has broken her promise to wait for him. In the ballad, shegoes with him happily, only to find that he is taking her to her death. Herethe soldier makes the promise to be with Kathleen, but ...
The Demon Lover Summary. In “The Demon Lover,” Kathleen Drover returns to her home in London to collect things for her family, who have fled due to World War II. Kathleen finds a mysterious...
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