Book Anatomy · The Enchanted April
The Enchanted April: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. 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 73 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
6,139 different words. On average 48 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 2,795 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
scrap, frederick, caroline, briggs, arbuthnot. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 18.93 words ending in 'ly' and 10.42 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 4.5% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 6.1% 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 31% of sentences: she, wilkins, fisher, arbuthnot, he.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| she | 500 |
| wilkins | 454 |
| fisher | 375 |
| arbuthnot | 230 |
| he | 203 |
| it | 201 |
| and | 201 |
| the | 175 |
| i | 162 |
| but | 152 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.97 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
98 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.24 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 45: She did not like her name. It was a mean, small name, with a kind of facetious twist, she thought, about its end like the upward curve of …
Ch 1, para 66: “Yes. Between us. Share. Then it would only cost half, and you look so—you look exactly as if you wanted it just as much as I do—as if …
Ch 1, para 80: Clearly Mrs. Wilkins was unbalanced, but Mrs. Arbuthnot had met the unbalanced before—indeed she was always meeting them—and they had no effect on her own stability at all; …
Ch 2, para 31: He seemed very happy. Life, she often thought, however much one tabulated was yet a mystery. There were always some people it was impossible to place. Frederick was …
Ch 3, para 6: They had both—even Mrs. Arbuthnot, lured for once away from perfect candour by the realisation of the great saving of trouble and criticism an imperfect explanation would produce—they …
Ch 3, para 18: “I hope you’ll like the old place,” he said, holding her hand a minute at the door. The very feel of her hand, even through its glove, was …
The novel uses similes and metaphors extensively, mostly drawn from nature and light. Examples include comparing women to deer, describing emotions as flooding or rising sap, and using garden imagery to represent inner transformation.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 8, Ch 16, Ch 20, Ch 22
She simply could not see him as he was. She could only see him resolved into beauty, melted into harmony with everything else. (Ch 6, para 9)
she had a curious sensation, which worried her, of rising sap. (Ch 16, para 16)
And she was gone up the path with the swiftness of a young, slender deer. (Ch 20, para 12)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 57%, sound 20%, touch 17%, taste 3%, smell 3%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 592 |
| sound | 213 |
| touch | 177 |
| taste | 35 |
| smell | 28 |
Sight dominates, with constant focus on Italian light and garden beauty. Smell is crucial, especially wistaria and acacia scents. Sound appears less often. Touch and taste are minimal.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 8, Ch 22
it was Italy, and the very clouds looked fat. Neither of them had ever been there before. Both gazed out of the windows with rapt faces. (Ch 5, para 1)
Happy? Poor, ordinary, everyday word. But what could one say, how could one describe it? (Ch 6, para 7)
The sweet smells that were everywhere in San Salvatore were alone enough to produce concord. (Ch 11, para 1)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
62 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.78 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear in descriptions of flowers and emotional states. Repetition of key phrases like 'San Salvatore' and 'April' anchors the narrative. Parallel structures show in the four women's parallel journeys.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 22
To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine. Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be Let Furnished for the month of April. (Ch 1, para 2)
Everything seemed to be out together—all the things crowded into one month which in England are spread penuriously over six. (Ch 16, para 47)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: art, whence.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| art | 3 |
| whence | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
The novel shows character change through action and dialogue rather than summary. Mrs. Fisher's emotional thaw is shown through her laughter and Lotty's kiss rather than stated. Rose's longing appears in her actions, not explanation.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 16, Ch 18, Ch 22
Mrs. Fisher laughed very much as she made it. (Ch 18, para 62)
I knew you would come—in my very heart I always, always knew you would come (Ch 20, para 42)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description often precedes action, especially of the castle and gardens. Chapters open with sensory detail before plot moves forward. This creates mood before events unfold.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 8, Ch 14
it was Italy, and the very clouds looked fat. Neither of them had ever been there before. Both gazed out of the windows with rapt faces. (Ch 5, para 1)
Happy? Poor, ordinary, everyday word. But what could one say, how could one describe it? (Ch 6, para 7)
That first week the wistaria began to fade, and the flowers of the Judas-tree and peach-trees fell off and carpeted the ground with rose-colour. (Ch 14, para 1)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 8.17 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 181 |
| seemed | 108 |
| felt | 95 |
| knew | 91 |
| saw | 70 |
| heard | 43 |
| noticed | 28 |
| watched | 13 |
| wondered | 12 |
| realised | 5 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from anxious and guilty in England to joyful and lyrical at San Salvatore. Comic moments arise from misunderstandings and social awkwardness. The final chapter becomes elegiac.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 14, Ch 22
by the afternoon of the next day when they got into Italy, England, Frederick, Mellersh, the vicar, the poor, Hampstead, the club, Shoolbred, everybody and everything, the whole inflamed sore dreariness, had faded to the dimness of a dream. (Ch 4, para 22)
Happy? Poor, ordinary, everyday word. But what could one say, how could one describe it? (Ch 6, para 7)
on the instructions, printed in red letters, was a paragraph saying that the tap should not be turned off as long as there was still fire in the stove. (Ch 14, para 20)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy works through physical mishap, social embarrassment and character contradiction. The bathroom stove explosion, Mellersh's towel encounter with Lady Caroline, and Mrs. Fisher's rigid control create humour through situation and personality clash.
Chapters: Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 18
on the instructions, printed in red letters, was a paragraph saying that the tap should not be turned off as long as there was still fire in the stove. (Ch 14, para 20)
They were acquainted with Mr. Wilkins’s legs. (Ch 15, para 1)
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