Kidnapped: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for Kidnapped by R.L. Stevenson. 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 78 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
6,444 different words. On average 49 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 3,153 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
alan, says, david, heather, campbell. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 7.29 words ending in 'ly' and 4.45 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 3.6% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 6.9% 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 32% of sentences: i, and, the, but, he.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 416 |
| and | 243 |
| the | 234 |
| but | 183 |
| he | 147 |
| it | 134 |
| well | 93 |
| this | 74 |
| there | 61 |
| at | 53 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.73 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
243 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 3.02 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 1: I will begin the story of my adventures with a certain morning early in the month of June, the year of grace 1751, when I took the key …
Ch 1, para 3: “Well, Davie, lad,” said he, “I will go with you as far as the ford, to set you on the way.” And we began to walk forward in …
Ch 1, para 15: “Why, very well said,” replied Mr. Campbell, heartily. “And now to come to the material, or (to make a quibble) to the immaterial. I have here a little …
Ch 1, para 15: “Why, very well said,” replied Mr. Campbell, heartily. “And now to come to the material, or (to make a quibble) to the immaterial. I have here a little …
Ch 1, para 16: With that he got upon his feet, took off his hat, and prayed a little while aloud, and in affecting terms, for a young man setting out into …
Ch 2, para 1: On the forenoon of the second day, coming to the top of a hill, I saw all the country fall away before me down to the sea; and …
Stevenson uses similes frequently for character and mood: Alan's eyes have 'a kind of dancing madness' (c9), David's heart 'sank lower and lower' (c8), and exhaustion is 'like a nightmare' (c10). Metaphors include blood as inheritance and curse, the sea as separator, and confinement as spiritual trial.
Chapters: Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 22
his eyes were unusually light and had a kind of dancing madness in them, that was both engaging and alarming (Ch 9, para 9)
the thought of the two men I had shot sat upon me like a nightmare; and all upon a sudden, and before I had a guess of what was coming, I began to sob and cry like any child (Ch 10, para 45)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 56%, sound 24%, touch 14%, taste 5%, smell 1%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 563 |
| sound | 244 |
| touch | 141 |
| taste | 47 |
| smell | 8 |
Sight dominates: David watches Alan's sword work, the Red Fox fall, Highland terrain. Sound matters in dialogue and music (c25 piping). Touch conveys hardship: cold, hunger, exhaustion. Smell and taste are sparse; the book privileges visual and auditory experience.
Chapters: Ch 10, Ch 17, Ch 25
throughout the rest of our night-march he beguiled the way with whistling of many tunes, warlike, merry, plaintive; reel tunes that made the foot go faster (Ch 20, para 51)
Just in the door, he met Alan coming in; and the two drew back and looked at each other like strange dogs (Ch 25, para 17)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
53 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.66 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear in descriptions of Alan's qualities and David's trials. Repetition marks key phrases: 'the Red Fox', 'the silver button', 'the house of Shaws'. Patterns of three-part journeys (sea, island, Highlands) structure the plot.
Chapters: Ch 12, Ch 15, Ch 17
He was the prettiest man of his kindred; and the best swordsman in the Hielands, David, and that is the same as to say, in all the world (Ch 12, para 11)
And then the old gentleman clapped his hand to his brow, and cried out that I must be the lad with the silver button (Ch 15, para 10)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: whence, ere, betwixt, art, hath, nay.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| whence | 5 |
| ere | 4 |
| betwixt | 3 |
| art | 2 |
| hath | 1 |
| nay | 1 |
| hither | 1 |
| thee | 1 |
| wherefore | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
Stevenson shows character through action and dialogue rather than summary. David's growth appears in his choices: standing to his uncle (c3), warning Alan (c9), accepting Alan's oath (c18). Moral conflict is dramatised in scenes, not explained.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 9, Ch 18
I’ll stay awhile. It’s more just I should be helped by my own blood than strangers (Ch 3, para 61)
That will I!” said I. “I am no thief, nor yet murderer. I’ll stand by you. (Ch 9, para 64)
Alan,” said I, “I’ll not say it’s the good Christianity as I understand it, but it’s good enough. And here I offer ye my hand for the second time. (Ch 18, para 31)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is woven into action. The house of Shaws is revealed through David's approach and reaction (c2), not prior summary. Landscapes emerge as David moves through them. Stevenson favours immediate sensory detail over static scene-setting.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 14, Ch 15
It was a word that seemed to surprise those of whom I sought my way (Ch 2, para 3)
Blood built it; blood stopped the building of it; blood shall bring it down (Ch 2, para 19)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 4.94 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 120 |
| seemed | 74 |
| saw | 69 |
| heard | 64 |
| knew | 40 |
| felt | 15 |
| watched | 10 |
| wondered | 4 |
| noticed | 1 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from domestic quiet (c1) to Gothic suspense (c4), then adventure (c9 to 10), despair (c22), and finally legal resolution (c29). The book moves from innocent narration to hardened survivor's voice, with moments of dark humour in dialogue.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 9, Ch 22, Ch 29
I locked him into his room, however, and pocketed the key, and then returning to the kitchen, made up such a blaze as had not shone there for many a long year (Ch 4, para 50)
I ken that fine,” said he; “but if we are driven back on Appin, we are two dead men. So now, David man, be brisk! (Ch 22, para 21)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy arises from dialogue: Alan's boasts, Rankeillor's dry wit, and David's naive observations. Situational humour appears in the boat theft (c26) and Ebenezer's panic (c29). Humour is sparse but sharp, often at characters' expense.
Chapters: Ch 26, Ch 29
Man!” cried Alan, “if I make a boat, I’ll make a body to take it back again! (Ch 26, para 33)
ye have a fine, hang-dog, rag-and-tatter, clappermaclaw kind of a look to ye, as if ye had stolen the coat from a potato-bogle (Ch 26, para 44)
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