The Wake by Blanche Colton Williams
Blanche Colton Williams’s study of Donn Byrne’s “The Wake” examines how a narrative of Irish death customs builds dramatic suspense around a bereaved husband, a dead young wife, and Kennedy, the younger man who has threatened the husband. It treats the piece as more than a local-color picture, tracing its gradual heightening of interest, its dénouement, and the way a potentially triangular love plot is submerged beneath grief and hostility. Williams directs attention to Ulster setting, duration of action, viewpoint, the identity of the central character, and the possible controlling force of Death or the dead woman. The section also quotes Byrne’s rejection of fixed distinctions between short-story and novel technique and invites critical debate about that claim.
By Blanche Colton Williams · First published 1919 · Genre: Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, Literary Essay · 596 words
First lines
GENERAL. "The Wake" suggests and pictures the customs of the Irish following a death; at the same time it tells a story. For this latter reason it is superior, as a narrative, to "Supers," which emphasizes the picture, the condition. Emphasis is placed on the situation, with a gradual heightening of interest as to a suggested outcome. The young wife of an elderly husband lies dead; she has loved and been loved by a younger man; the younger man (Kennedy) has declared, "If anything ever happens to that girl at your side, Michael James, I'll murder you! " And now as Michael sits in dumb misery, he awaits the fulfillment of the threat. The passive situation is merged into the dramatic moment by the advent of Kennedy, who seeing the dead woman, foregoes his intention.
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Genres
- Literary Analysis — The section closely examines narrative action, suspense, viewpoint, characters, setting, and thematic effect.
- Literary Criticism — It evaluates the narrative’s success and asks readers to judge the author’s claims about fiction technique.
- Literary Essay — The instructional commentary combines interpretive observations, comparative prompts, and an author quotation.
Tags
Blanche Colton Williams · Donn Byrne · The Wake · Irish wake customs · Ulster setting · suspense · dénouement · triangle plot · point of view · characterization · Death as character · germinal idea
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The Wake is listed on Textopian as an essay by Blanche Colton Williams, dated 1919 CE.
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- Work type: Essay
- Author: Blanche Colton Williams
- Date: 1919 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, Literary Essay
- Length: 596 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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