Book Anatomy · Treasure Island
Treasure Island: Pace
16 lenses on pace for Treasure Island by Robert Louis 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: D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13 D14 D15 D16
D1. Chapter length in words, as a chart. Count
34 chapters, median 1,998 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D2. Mean sentence length per chapter. Count
Mean 18.4 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D3. Paragraph length per chapter. Count
Paragraphs average 49 words.
Mean paragraph words, chapter by chapter
D4. Scene against summary: how much is shown live? AI
Most of the book is shown live in scenes. Chapters 1 to 5, 7 to 15, 18 to 34 are primarily in-scene action and dialogue. Chapter 16 to 17 use summary for the officers' movements, and chapter 7 summarises Jim's journey to Bristol.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 7, Ch 16, Ch 17
D5. Action against reflection, per chapter. AI
Action dominates most chapters. Quiet reflection appears in chapters 19, 22, 27, 30 where Jim pauses to think or plan. The ratio shifts toward action in the treasure hunt and sea adventure sections.
Chapters: Ch 19, Ch 22, Ch 27, Ch 30
What I began to do was to envy the doctor walking in the cool shadow of the woods with the birds about him and the pleasant smell of the pines (Ch 22, para 12)
D6. Tension score per chapter (1 to 5) as a curve. AI
Peak 5 of 5, mean 3.9. See the full lens on the book page.
D7. Emotional arc of the whole book, matched to the six shapes. Count
Cinderella (rise, fall, rise). See the full lens on the book page.
D8. Chapter endings: cliffhanger, question, reveal or quiet close. AI
25 of 34 chapters end on a hook. See the full lens on the book page.
D9. Chapter openings: in scene, in summary, or after a time jump. AI
Most chapters open in scene with immediate action or dialogue. Chapter 7 opens in summary after a time jump. Chapter 16 opens after a viewpoint shift with summary of the officers' actions. Chapter 22 opens in scene with Jim's restlessness.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 7, Ch 16, Ch 22
D10. Do chapters and sentences get shorter near the climax? Count
In the last fifth, chapters run at 1.06 times the length of earlier ones, and sentences at 0.98 times. So the end does not speed up by these measures.
D11. Dialogue density against pace. Count
Link between dialogue share and chapter length: 0.24 (1 is a perfect match, 0 none). Between dialogue share and tension: -0.11.
Dialogue % per chapter, chapter by chapter
D12. Time jumps and how they are signalled. Both
7 time jump phrases in the narration, such as 'next morning' or 'years later'.
| Where | Phrase |
|---|---|
| c3p21 | next morning |
| c7p24 | next morning |
| c7p26 | next day |
| c13p2 | next morning |
| c22p14 | next day |
| c33p28 | next morning |
| c34p2 | next morning |
Time jump phrases, chapter by chapter
Ch 3, para 21: He got downstairs next morning, to be sure, and had his meals as usual, though he ate little and had more, I am afraid, than his usual supply …
Ch 7, para 24: The next morning he and I set out on foot for the Admiral Benbow, and there I found my mother in good health and spirits. The captain, who …
Ch 7, para 26: The night passed, and the next day, after dinner, Redruth and I were afoot again and on the road. I said good-bye to Mother and the cove where …
Ch 13, para 2: The appearance of the island when I came on deck next morning was altogether changed. Although the breeze had now utterly ceased, we had made a great deal …
Ch 22, para 14: I was a fool, if you like, and certainly I was going to do a foolish, over-bold act; but I was determined to do it with all the …
Ch 33, para 28: When the doctor had wormed this secret from him on the afternoon of the attack, and when next morning he saw the anchorage deserted, he had gone to …
Time jumps are signalled by chapter breaks and occasional summary phrases. Chapter 7 uses 'Jim waits at the hall' and 'travels to Bristol' to compress time. Chapter 22 uses 'After the battle' to mark the passage between events.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 22
D13. Info dump spots: long runs with no action or speech. Both
7 stretches of 900 words or more with no speech at all. These are where description, summary or backstory pile up.
| Starts at | Words | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|
| c27p2 | 1741 | 22 |
| c22p12 | 1613 | 22 |
| c24p21 | 1330 | 21 |
| c23p23 | 1174 | 20 |
| c7p10 | 1149 | 18 |
| c14p24 | 1133 | 16 |
| c26p30 | 969 | 10 |
Long info dumps are rare. Chapter 15 has Ben Gunn's extended monologue about Flint's treasure burial. Chapter 19 contains discussion of their dire situation. Most exposition comes through dialogue rather than narration.
Chapters: Ch 15, Ch 19
I were in Flint’s ship when he buried the treasure; he and six along--six strong seamen. They was ashore nigh on a week, and us standing off and on in the old WALRUS. (Ch 15, para 43)
D14. Reading time per chapter. Count
About 4.6 hours to read at 250 words a minute. The longest chapter takes 11.9 minutes.
Minutes per chapter, chapter by chapter
D15. Micro tension in quiet scenes. AI
Quiet scenes maintain tension through Jim's internal fear and uncertainty. Chapter 19 builds tension through discussion of starvation. Chapter 27 creates dread as Jim approaches the blockhouse at night, fearing it has been taken.
Chapters: Ch 19, Ch 27
It was all over, I thought. Good-bye to the HISPANIOLA; good-bye to the squire, the doctor, and the captain! There was nothing left for me but death by starvation or death by the hands of the mutineers. (Ch 14, para 30)
D16. Section breaks per chapter. Count
0 section breaks marked in the text, in 0 of 34 chapters.
Ask Treasure Island a question about its craft (free beta)
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