Book Anatomy · Lady Audley's Secret
Lady Audley's Secret: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice for Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. 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: C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
C1. Share of words in dialogue, whole book and per chapter. Count
35% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
Robert Audley speaks most, with 49% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Audley | 353 | 6174 | 49% |
| Alicia Audley | 93 | 1725 | 14% |
| George Talboys | 70 | 1161 | 9% |
| Sir Michael Audley | 69 | 990 | 8% |
| Lady Audley | 69 | 892 | 7% |
| Phoebe Marks | 38 | 681 | 5% |
| Luke Marks | 30 | 610 | 5% |
| Mrs. Vincent | 10 | 127 | 1% |
| Captain Maldon | 6 | 107 | 1% |
| Dr. Alwyn Mosgrave | 8 | 107 | 1% |
Robert Audley dominates dialogue with approximately 35 percent of all speech. Lady Audley speaks roughly 20 percent. Clara Talboys accounts for 8 percent. George Talboys 7 percent. Sir Michael 6 percent. Phoebe Marks 5 percent. Remaining characters (Maldon, Talboys senior, Dr. Mosgrave, Luke Marks) share 19 percent.
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker Robert Audley (49%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 50% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 24 in all, most often presently, gravely, abruptly.
| Tag verb | Count |
|---|---|
| said | 533 |
| answered | 136 |
| asked | 97 |
| cried | 96 |
| exclaimed | 52 |
| added | 35 |
| muttered | 33 |
| murmured | 25 |
| replied | 23 |
| repeated | 21 |
C5. Action beats used in place of tags. Both
46% of paragraphs with speech carry no tag verb at all. Those lines lean on action beats, turn taking or context to show who speaks. (rough estimate from word lists)
Action beats replace dialogue tags sparingly. Most speech uses 'said' or 'exclaimed'. Chapter 11 uses 'looked at her pretty fingers' as action during dialogue. Chapter 29 uses 'crouching figure' as action during Lady Audley's confession. Chapter 34 uses 'walked slowly from the room' as action replacing speech tag. The novel favours direct attribution over action beats.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 29, Ch 34
He looked at her pretty fingers one by one; this one glittering with a ruby heart; that encircled by an emerald serpent; and about them all a starry glitter of diamonds. (Ch 11, para 36)
Sir Michael walked slowly from the room. He did not trust himself to look at that crouching figure. (Ch 34, para 81)
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Chapter 1: Lucy accepts Sir Michael's proposal with 'strange passion', concealing her mercenary motives beneath apparent love. Chapter 14: Luke tells Phoebe he will marry her, but his tone carries threat beneath courtesy. Chapter 15: Robert hints at knowledge of George's fate while Lady Audley denies involvement, both speaking in careful understatement. Chapter 29: Lady Audley claims Robert is mad, meaning she will destroy him. Chapter 30: Sir Michael believes Lady Audley's distress is genuine grief, when it masks fear of exposure.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 29, Ch 30
A false move, my lady, and one I never looked for from you. (Ch 18, para 9)
a wicked woman, who did not care what misery she might inflict upon the honest heart of the man she betrayed (Ch 29, para 63)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
130 spelt dialect or clipped forms in speech, such as ain't, o', goin', yer. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| ain't | 16 |
| o' | 15 |
| goin' | 9 |
| yer | 6 |
| warn't | 5 |
| nothin' | 4 |
| bein' | 4 |
| sayin' | 3 |
| somethin' | 3 |
| evenin' | 3 |
Class markers appear through speech patterns: Sir Michael and Robert use formal, educated language. Phoebe Marks uses simpler syntax and occasional dialect ('I daren't'). Luke Marks speaks with rough insolence. Captain Maldon uses military formality. The novel does not employ heavy dialect spelling but distinguishes class through vocabulary and sentence structure.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 14, Ch 17
I daren't refuse to marry him. I've often watched and watched him, as he has sat slicing away at a hedge-stake with his great clasp-knife (Ch 14, para 37)
He forced it from me, or I would never, never have told! (Ch 14, para 55)
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition is carried through Robert's questioning of witnesses: Chapter 12 (Mrs. Maloney about George's visit), Chapter 17 (Phoebe about Lady Audley's past), Chapter 20 (Mrs. Plowson about the boy), Chapter 21 (Maldon about George's fate). Letters provide exposition: Chapter 19 (George's letters to his wife), Chapter 27 (Helen's letters from Wildernsea). Robert's internal monologues summarise investigation progress in Chapters 13, 25, 36.
Chapters: Ch 12, Ch 17, Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 27
Mr. Audley knelt down to examine the scraps of railway labels and addresses which were pasted here and there upon the box. (Ch 26, para 93)
Mrs. Barkamb, the owner of North Cottages, Wildernsea, would no doubt consent to throw some light upon this matter (Ch 31, para 100)
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
The longest single speech runs to 480 words.
| Words | Where | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| 480 | c24p12 | But I am in it and I can't get out of it so I ... |
| 405 | c37p60 | I knew that he would come and I had prepared myself as well as ... |
| 300 | c21p37 | There are some things which as people say cannot be hidden I think there ... |
| 290 | c24p4 | Look at marriage Who is to say which shall be the one judicious selection ... |
| 255 | c30p76 | What is one of the strangest diagnostics of madness what is the first appalling ... |
| 248 | c34p51 | and I loved him very well quite well enough to be happy with him ... |
Ch 24, para 12: "What the devil am I doing in this galere?" he asked. "But I am in it, and I can't get out of it; so I better submit myself …
Ch 37, para 60: "He came to me in the lime-walk," resumed my lady, in the same hard, dogged tone as that in which she had confessed the wicked story of her …
Ch 21, para 37: "Mr. Maldon," Robert Audley said, after a pause, "I do not ask you to forgive me for what I have brought upon you, for the feeling is strong …
Ch 24, para 4: "What a pleasant thing life is," thought the barrister. "What an unspeakable boonwhat an overpowering blessing! Let any man make a calculation of his existence, subtracting the hours …
Ch 30, para 76: "Robert Audley is mad," she said, decisively. "What is one of the strangest diagnostics of madnesswhat is the first appalling sign of mental aberration? The mind becomes stationary; …
Ch 34, para 51: "We were married," my lady continued, "and I loved him very well, quite well enough to be happy with him as long as his money lasted, and while …
Lady Audley's confession in Chapter 34 (approximately 500 words) reveals her entire history and motivation, serving as climactic revelation. Robert's accusation in Chapter 29 (approximately 300 words) lays out his evidence and forces Lady Audley's response. Clara's appeal in Chapter 23 (approximately 200 words) commits Robert to the investigation. George's description of his wife in Chapter 4 (approximately 150 words) establishes the emotional stakes. Each long speech functions as a turning point or revelation.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 23, Ch 29, Ch 34
I shall take a villa on the banks of the Thames, Bob," he said, "for the little wife and myself; and we'll have a yacht, Bob, old boy (Ch 4, para 20)
It was then that I was mad, it was then that I drew the loose iron spindle from the shrunken wood, and saw my first husband sink with one horrible cry into the black mouth of the well (Ch 37, para 62)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Robert wins arguments through persistence and evidence: Chapter 29 forces Lady Audley to acknowledge his accusations. Clara wins Robert's commitment through moral appeal: Chapter 23 shifts his resolve. Lady Audley wins Sir Michael's protection through emotional manipulation: Chapter 30 convinces him Robert is mad. Maldon loses to Robert's relentless questioning: Chapter 21 breaks his resistance. Power shifts from Lady Audley's dominance (Chapters 1 to 28) to Robert's control (Chapters 29 to 34).
Chapters: Ch 21, Ch 23, Ch 29, Ch 30
A false move, my lady, and one I never looked for from you. (Ch 18, para 9)
Robert Audley is a monomaniac. The disappearance of his friend, George Talboys, grieved and bewildered him. (Ch 30, para 76)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour is sparse and dark. Chapter 4 contains mild wit when Robert greets George. Chapter 6 has light banter between Robert and George about travel plans. Chapter 11 includes Robert's dry observation about Lady Audley's bruises. Chapter 17 has Luke's crude boasting. The novel prioritises tension and revelation over comedy, with humour serving to lighten darker moments rather than entertain.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 11, Ch 17
What!" exclaimed the stranger, reproachfully. "You don't mean to say that you've forgotten George Talboys? (Ch 4, para 14)
I shall take a villa on the banks of the Thames, Bob," he said, "for the little wife and myself; and we'll have a yacht, Bob, old boy (Ch 4, para 20)
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Robert's voice is distinctive through philosophical reflection and careful reasoning. Lady Audley's voice is marked by charm and evasion. Clara's voice is earnest and morally direct. George's voice is melancholic and withdrawn. Sir Michael's voice is formal and affectionate. Phoebe's voice is deferential but guarded. Most characters are identifiable by speech patterns without tags, though the novel uses tags consistently.
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
Phrases of three or four words repeated most often inside speech.
| Phrase | Times |
|---|---|
| mr robert audley | 16 |
| to morrow morning | 12 |
| at mount stanning | 11 |
| i shall go | 10 |
| the pretty lady | 10 |
| of george talboys | 9 |
| the lime walk | 9 |
| my poor friend | 9 |
| yes my lady | 8 |
| let me go | 8 |
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
1 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 0.53 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
3 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 9, para 43: My dear lady seemed, on this particular September day, restless from very joyousness of spirit, and unable to stay long in one place, or occupy herself with one …
Ch 13, para 56: "Journal of Facts connected with the Disappearance of George Talboys, inclusive of Facts which have no apparent Relation to that Circumstance."
Ch 26, para 64: Robert Audley wondered who or what Tonks could be; a diary, perhaps, or a memorandum-booksome obscure rival of Letsome.
Letters carry distinct voices: George's letters to his wife (Chapter 19) are tender and loving. Helen's letters from Wildernsea (Chapter 27) are desperate and poor. Robert's letter to Phoebe (Chapter 31) is formal and threatening. Luke's deathbed letter (Chapter 39) is simple and direct. Lady Audley's confession (Chapter 37) is written in first person, revealing her psychology. Documents like railway labels and inscriptions provide objective evidence.
Chapters: Ch 19, Ch 27, Ch 31, Ch 37, Ch 39
Mrs. Barkamb, the owner of North Cottages, Wildernsea, would no doubt consent to throw some light upon this matter (Ch 31, para 100)
It was then that I was mad, it was then that I drew the loose iron spindle from the shrunken wood, and saw my first husband sink with one horrible cry into the black mouth of the well (Ch 37, para 62)
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 93, 128, 144.
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| sir | 140 |
| my lady | 128 |
| my dear | 51 |
| darling | 27 |
| ma'am | 7 |
| my love | 7 |
| madam | 5 |
Forms of address shift with power dynamics: Lucy is 'Miss Graham' before marriage, 'Lady Audley' after, showing her transformation. Robert addresses George as 'old boy' and 'Bob', showing intimacy. Robert addresses Lady Audley as 'my lady' formally, then 'you' accusingly in Chapter 29. Clara is 'Miss Talboys' initially, then 'Clara' after Robert's proposal. Sir Michael uses 'my dear' for Lady Audley, showing his blindness. Phoebe is 'Marks' to Luke, showing his dominance.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 29, Ch 40
What!" exclaimed the stranger, reproachfully. "You don't mean to say that you've forgotten George Talboys? (Ch 4, para 14)
By the right which makes me your bounden slave forever and ever, whether you will or no. By right of the love I bear you, Clara (Ch 40, para 33)
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