The Sheik: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice for The Sheik by E.M. Hull. 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
12% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
Diana Mayo speaks most, with 33% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diana Mayo | 54 | 667 | 33% |
| Raoul de Saint Hubert | 45 | 627 | 31% |
| Ahmed Ben Hassan | 35 | 338 | 16% |
| Gaston | 18 | 211 | 10% |
| Sir Aubrey Mayo | 6 | 77 | 4% |
| Mustafa Ali | 5 | 73 | 4% |
| Arbuthnot | 6 | 55 | 3% |
Dialogue comprises 12.1% of the book. Ahmed and Diana dominate speech. Saint Hubert has significant lines in Chapters 6 to 10. Ibraheim Omair speaks briefly in Chapter 8. Minor characters have few lines.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker Diana Mayo (33%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 42% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 160 in all, most often quietly, slowly, sharply.
| Tag verb | Count |
|---|---|
| said | 140 |
| asked | 40 |
| whispered | 29 |
| replied | 28 |
| murmured | 23 |
| added | 19 |
| cried | 19 |
| repeated | 9 |
| muttered | 9 |
| began | 8 |
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 frequently. Example: Ahmed's kisses silence Diana's protests in Chapter 3. His rescue of Diana in Chapter 8 is shown through action rather than speech.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 8
Oh, you brute! You brute!" she wailed, until his kisses silenced her (Ch 3, para 112)
Then from outside came a sudden uproar and the sharp crack of rifles. Then in a lull in the firing the Sheik's powerful voice: "Diane! Diane! (Ch 8, para 40)
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Ahmed tells Diana he will send her away in Chapter 10 when he means he cannot bear to keep her. Diana says she does not understand kissing in Chapter 1 when she means she is inexperienced and curious.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 10
I have never been kissed in my life. It is one of the things that I do not understand. (Ch 1, para 77)
Do you think it is easy to let you go, that you are taunting me like this? Do you think I haven't suffered, that I'm not suffering now? (Ch 10, para 67)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
Very few spelt dialect forms in speech. (rough estimate from word lists)
No strong dialect markers. Characters speak in formal English. Ahmed uses slightly more formal phrasing befitting his education. No class markers through spelling or grammar.
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition is carried through Saint Hubert's explanation of Ahmed's parentage in Chapter 9. Ahmed's education and tastes are revealed through Diana's observations in Chapter 3. Ibraheim Omair's feud is explained through dialogue in Chapter 7.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 7, Ch 9
The evidence of education and unlooked-for tastes in the man they belonged to troubled her (Ch 3, para 20)
His father is the Earl of Glencaryll. (Ch 9, para 16)
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
The longest single speech runs to 382 words.
| Words | Where | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| 382 | c10p77 | If you married me you would have to live always here in the desert ... |
| 218 | c2p26 | Why quarrel with the result You have brought me up to ignore the restrictions ... |
| 149 | c3p60 | When you come to know me better you will realise that I do not ... |
| 148 | c1p50 | We fell out Aubrey and I He wanted to go to America I wanted ... |
| 143 | c2p14 | You must see for yourself now that you are face to face with the ... |
| 140 | c1p58 | Miss Mayo Diana put off this trip only for a little and give me ... |
Ch 10, para 77: He did not move or look at her, and his brows drew together in the dreaded heavy frown. "You don't know what you are saying. You don't know …
Ch 2, para 26: She looked at him steadily, her scornful mouth firm as his own. "I am what you have made me," she said slowly. "Why quarrel with the result? You …
Ch 3, para 60: "There was no need for any murder," he continued sarcastically. "When you come to know me better you will realise that I do not leave too much to …
Ch 1, para 50: She shrugged her shoulders with a little laugh. "We fell out, Aubrey and I. He wanted to go to America. I wanted a trip into the desert. We …
Ch 2, para 14: "You must see for yourself, now that you are face to face with the thing, that it is impossible. It's quite unthinkable that you can wander for the …
Ch 1, para 58: There was an obstinate ring in her voice, and when she stopped speaking he sat silent, consumed with anxiety, obsessed with the loveliness of her, and tormented with …
Saint Hubert's speech in Chapter 9 explaining Ahmed's family history is the longest. Ahmed's confession of love in Chapter 10 is the most emotionally charged. Both serve to resolve the central conflict.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 10
Diane, Diane, how could I know how much you meant to me? How could I know that I should love you? (Ch 8, para 72)
His father is the Earl of Glencaryll. (Ch 9, para 16)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Ahmed wins most arguments through dominance and will. Diana wins the final argument in Chapter 10 through her suicide attempt, forcing Ahmed to confess and surrender his control.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 10
For the first time in her life she had had to obey. For the first time in her life she was of no account (Ch 4, para 2)
Was it--in time?" he whispered slowly (Ch 10, para 3)
Do you think it is easy to let you go, that you are taunting me like this? Do you think I haven't suffered, that I'm not suffering now? (Ch 10, para 67)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour is minimal. The book is serious and intense. Light moments occur in Chapter 1 at the hotel dance but are quickly overshadowed by the abduction.
Chapters: Ch 1
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Ahmed's voice is formal, commanding and occasionally poetic. Diana's voice is spirited, defiant and increasingly tender. Saint Hubert's voice is measured and honourable. Characters are distinguishable by speech patterns.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 10
When God made me He omitted to give me a heart. I have never loved any one in my life. (Ch 1, para 61)
I am the Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan. (Ch 2, para 93)
Because I wanted you. Because one day in Biskra, four weeks ago, I saw you for a few moments (Ch 3, para 64)
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
Phrases of three or four words repeated most often inside speech.
| Phrase | Times |
|---|---|
| ahmed ben hassan | 8 |
| let you go | 7 |
| i don't want | 5 |
| to let you go | 5 |
| de saint hubert | 5 |
| monsieur le vicomte | 5 |
| i shall go | 4 |
| don't want to | 4 |
| let me go | 4 |
| i didn't mean | 4 |
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
21 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 36.27 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
0 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
No letters, diaries or documents appear in the book. All narrative is third-person prose or direct dialogue.
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 1, 1, 1.
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| my dear | 2 |
| my love | 1 |
Diana calls Ahmed 'the Sheik' or 'Ahmed'. Ahmed calls Diana 'Diane' (his spelling). Saint Hubert uses formal titles. Forms of address do not change significantly over the book.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
Then from outside came a sudden uproar and the sharp crack of rifles. Then in a lull in the firing the Sheik's powerful voice: "Diane! Diane! (Ch 8, para 40)
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