Book Anatomy · The Leavenworth Case
The Leavenworth Case: Setting and world
13 lenses on setting and world for The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green. 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: I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 I11 I12 I13
I1. Places named and how often each appears. Count
the library is the place named most, 42 times.
| Place | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| the library | 42 | 18 |
| New York | 23 | 11 |
| the hotel | 14 | 7 |
| the barn | 7 | 2 |
| Liverpool | 4 | 4 |
| R---- | 1 | 1 |
I2. Setting by chapter, as a map. Both
The place named most in each chapter. A rough setting map. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Chapter | Place named most |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | the library |
| 3 | |
| 4 | the library |
| 5 | the library |
| 6 | the library |
| 7 | the library |
| 8 | |
| 9 | the library |
| 10 | New York |
| 11 | the library |
| 12 | the library |
| 13 | New York |
| 14 | the library |
The Leavenworth house in New York anchors chapters 2 to 14 and 16. R---- (a provincial town) holds chapters 27 to 34. Raymond's office and Gryce's home appear briefly. The inquest courtroom (c2, c9) is the first major scene. Movement is sparse; investigation happens in rooms.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 27, Ch 28
I3. Setting shown in blocks or woven into action? AI
Setting is woven into action. The locked library door (c4), the grate where evidence burns (c10), Hannah's locked room (c29) emerge as characters move through them. No block descriptions; spaces reveal themselves through investigation.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 10, Ch 29
At which Mr. Harwell and himself had gone up and together tried both doors, and, finding them locked, burst open that of the library, when they came upon Mr. Leavenworth, as he had already said, sitting at the table, dead. (Ch 4, para 62)
Till I found this!” opening his large hand, and showing me a broken-handled key. (Ch 10, para 74)
I4. Weather and light used for mood. Both
Weather and light words: 0.53 per 1,000 words.
Weather and light words, chapter by chapter
Weather and light are absent. The book has no atmospheric mood-setting through nature. Darkness appears only in Gryce's trap scene (c36) where it serves plot function. The tone is interior and psychological, not environmental.
Chapters: Ch 36
I5. The social world: class, money, rules. AI
Class and money are central. Mr. Leavenworth's wealth drives the plot; his will (c16) reshapes the case. Mary's inheritance motive is key. Servants (Hannah, Thomas, Molly) are minor but crucial witnesses. Social rules constrain what the nieces can reveal.
Chapters: Ch 16, Ch 25, Ch 32
I have always been brought up to regard myself as his heiress, and I know that if I were to marry contrary to his wishes, he would instantly change his mind, and leave me penniless. (Ch 32, para 32)
I6. Rules of the world (magic, science) and when each is shown. AI
The book follows forensic science: bullet residue (c6), paper analysis (c22, c34), poison detection (c30). These are shown as emerging detective methods, not magic. Gryce's psychology, reading guilt through reaction, is the closest to intuition.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 22, Ch 30, Ch 34
That faint line of smut, on the edge of one of the chambers, is the telltale, sirs. A bullet passing out always leaves smut behind. The man who fired this, remembering the fact, cleaned the barrel, but forgot the cylinder. (Ch 6, para 34)
This pretended confession of Hannah’s is a fraud! (Ch 34, para 27)
I7. Lore: dripped in or dumped? AI
Lore is minimal. The Methodist minister who marries Mary and Clavering (c24) is mentioned in passing. No folklore or superstition; Harwell's dream (c20) is treated as unreliable. The book is modern and rational.
Chapters: Ch 20, Ch 24
I8. Real history used, and how. AI
No real history is used. The novel is set in contemporary New York (1878) but makes no reference to actual events or figures. It is a pure invention of crime and detection.
I9. Journeys: distance and time taken. Both
Raymond travels from New York to R---- (chapters 26 to 34), a journey of days. The inquest spans one day (c2, c9). Most investigation happens in New York over weeks. Time is measured in days and weeks, not hours; distance is vague.
Chapters: Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28
I10. Objects that matter, where they appear. Both
the letter is the object named most.
| Object | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| the letter | 44 | 12 |
| the confession | 18 | 6 |
| the pistol | 17 | 8 |
| the handkerchief | 9 | 5 |
| the candle | 2 | 2 |
| the diary | 2 | 1 |
The pistol (c4, c6, c38) is the murder weapon and symbol of guilt. The library key (c10, c11, c18) drives suspicion. The handkerchief (c9) implicates Eleanore. Letters and papers (c22, c31, c34) prove guilt. Hannah's stockings (c28) confirm her location.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 22, Ch 28
Till I found this!” opening his large hand, and showing me a broken-handled key. (Ch 10, para 74)
That the key to the library had been seen in her possession. (Ch 18, para 29)
Do not start when I say I saw the letter H plainly marked upon them. (Ch 28, para 6)
I11. Density of period detail. AI
Period detail is sparse. The inquest procedure is shown (c2, c9) but not explained. Servants, carriages, and drawing rooms are mentioned without elaboration. The book focuses on plot and psychology over historical texture.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4
I12. Setting as an enemy. AI
The locked house (c2, c5) creates isolation that traps suspects and evidence. The sealed library (c4) forces investigation inward. The barn fire (c28) destroys evidence. Setting is not an enemy but a container for secrets.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 4, Ch 28
At which Mr. Harwell and himself had gone up and together tried both doors, and, finding them locked, burst open that of the library, when they came upon Mr. Leavenworth, as he had already said, sitting at the table, dead. (Ch 4, para 62)
I13. Indoors against outdoors. Both
Indoor words outnumber outdoor words 1056 to 68. (rough estimate from word lists)
Indoor share %, chapter by chapter
Nearly all action is indoors: the inquest room, the Leavenworth house, Raymond's office, Mrs. Belden's parlour. The barn (c28) and yard (c5) are brief exceptions. The book is claustrophobic, trapping characters in rooms with secrets.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 5, Ch 28
Ask The Leavenworth Case a question about its craft (free beta)
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