Book Anatomy · A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 56 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
6,441 different words. On average 51 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 2,898 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
martian, toward, warriors, mars, martians. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 14.93 words ending in 'ly' and 10.21 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 3.4% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 12.8% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 37% of sentences: i, the, as, it, he.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 320 |
| the | 275 |
| as | 109 |
| it | 96 |
| he | 65 |
| my | 62 |
| they | 58 |
| in | 55 |
| we | 49 |
| she | 46 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.54 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
63 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 0.95 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 8: As Powell was familiar with the country, as well as with the mechanical requirements of mining we determined that it would be best for him to make the …
Ch 1, para 24: The view which their hurried routing disclosed filled me with apprehension and with rage. Under the clear rays of the Arizona moon lay Powell, his body fairly bristling …
Ch 1, para 31: I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as …
Ch 2, para 9: Several times I thought I heard faint sounds behind me as of somebody moving cautiously, but eventually even these ceased, and I was left to the contemplation of …
Ch 3, para 32: He was the one whose spear had so nearly transfixed me, and was evidently the leader of the band, as I had noted that they seemed to have …
Ch 4, para 22: As he banged me down upon my feet his face was bent close to mine and I did the only thing a gentleman might do under the circumstances …
Burroughs uses similes frequently, mostly comparing Martian creatures and landscapes to Earth equivalents. Examples: Woola described like a collie, thoats compared to Earth animals, and the atmosphere factory likened to human machinery. Metaphors are fewer but include Mars as a lover calling to Carter across space.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 10, Ch 20
If you have ever seen a collie smile you may have some idea of Woola’s facial distortion. (Ch 10, para 7)
it seemed to call across the unthinkable void, to lure me to it, to draw me as the lodestone attracts a particle of iron (Ch 2, para 19)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 57%, sound 24%, touch 17%, taste 3%, smell 0%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 297 |
| sound | 124 |
| touch | 88 |
| taste | 14 |
| smell | 1 |
Sight dominates throughout, with detailed descriptions of Martian landscapes, creatures and people. Sound appears in battle scenes and creature calls. Touch features in combat and intimate moments with Dejah Thoris. Smell and taste are rarely used; the book focuses on visual spectacle.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 8, Ch 14, Ch 25
a slender, girlish figure, similar in every detail to the earthly women of my past life (Ch 8, para 22)
I felt the steel tear into my chest, all went black before me, my head whirled in dizziness, and I felt my knees giving beneath me. (Ch 14, para 61)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
74 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 1.12 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear in descriptions of Martian customs and weapons. Repetition of key phrases like 'I knew that I was on Mars' and 'Dejah Thoris' emphasises obsession. The pattern of capture, escape, recapture structures the plot across multiple chapters.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 7, Ch 12, Ch 16, Ch 17
I knew that I was on Mars; not once did I question either my sanity or my wakefulness (Ch 3, para 2)
From birth they know no father or mother love, they know not the meaning of the word home (Ch 7, para 14)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: art, ere, whence, thou, hither, thither.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| art | 5 |
| ere | 4 |
| whence | 2 |
| thou | 1 |
| hither | 1 |
| thither | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
Burroughs shows action directly through combat scenes and dialogue rather than summary. Chapter 6 shows Carter's bravery through the white ape fight rather than telling us he is brave. Chapter 25 shows his love through action at the wedding rather than declaration.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 10, Ch 14, Ch 25
a bolt of myriad-legged horror hurled itself through the doorway full upon the breast of my executioner (Ch 6, para 4)
It was not I who did it, it was love, love for Dejah Thoris, a power that would work greater miracles than this you have seen (Ch 25, para 28)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is woven into action rather than preceding it. When Carter arrives on Mars in Chapter 3, he learns about gravity through jumping, not exposition. Martian customs are revealed through participation in ceremonies and battles rather than lectures.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 7, Ch 8
the effort, which on Earth would have brought me standing upright, carried me into the Martian air to the height of about three yards (Ch 3, para 5)
A huge craft, long, low, and gray-painted, swung slowly over the crest of the nearest hill (Ch 8, para 3)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 4.42 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| seemed | 65 |
| saw | 57 |
| thought | 48 |
| knew | 45 |
| heard | 30 |
| felt | 21 |
| realized | 10 |
| noticed | 9 |
| watched | 7 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from mystery and wonder in Chapters 1 to 3 to adventure and romance in Chapters 8 to 16, then to desperation and war in Chapters 17 to 25, ending with melancholy uncertainty in Chapter 28. The final chapter's reflective tone contrasts sharply with the action-driven middle.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 8, Ch 17, Ch 27, Ch 28
it seemed to call across the unthinkable void, to lure me to it, to draw me as the lodestone attracts a particle of iron (Ch 2, para 19)
I believe that they are waiting there for me, and something tells me that I shall soon know. (Ch 28, para 16)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy is minimal and mostly unintentional. Woola's loyalty is treated with gentle humour in Chapter 10. Carter's cultural misunderstandings provide light moments. The book prioritises adventure and romance over comedy.
Chapters: Ch 10, Ch 13
If you have ever seen a collie smile you may have some idea of Woola’s facial distortion. (Ch 10, para 7)
Quieting myself, I rubbed the poor old fellow’s head and back, talked to him for a few minutes, and then in an authoritative tone commanded him to follow me, and arising started for the hills. (Ch 10, para 9)
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