Comment Wang-Fu Fut Sauve Analysis

Critical Analysis “Comment Wang-Fô fut sauvé” by Marguerite Yourcenar
The text that I have decided to study is “Comment Wang-Fô fut sauvé” by Marguerite Yourcenar.
The extract is located after the first paragraph at the beginning of the story. We are introduced to the characters Ling, Ling’s wife and Wang-Fô . This presents a development of characterisation when we meet Ling in the first paragraph of the extract. The description of Ling’s wife follows straight after. In the second paragraph , we encounter Wang-Fô whom inspired Ling to have a new perspective of the world as “Ling avait grandi dans une maison d’où la richesse éliminait les hasards.” The passage is written in an omniscient third person narrative. It is predominantly
narrative

It can be seen in the lines “captait le crepuscule”,
“cette femme au coeur limpide comme on aime un miroir”. The repetition of c’s adds emphasis and draws the attention of the reader to the line. This can also be seen in the line “Ling la zébrure livide de l’éclair”. The appearance of the repeated letters signifies that the words are important in the sentence and it is conveying an important message.
Another literary technique that can be seen in this extract is the use of similes. This is most evident in the line “L’épouse de Ling était frêle comme un roseau, enfantine comme du lait, douce comme la salive, salée comme les larmes.” This line gives a descriptive description of Ling’s wife. It helps us understand what Ling’s wife is like by comparing her to different things such as “un roseau” or “du lait”. The author chose these words because they are something that we are familiar with so that we are able to grasp them quickly.
An important key moment in the passage was the second paragraph of the extract. It is when Ling meets Wang-Fô, an old painter whom has complete admiration for the beauty of art. Ling had him as a “compagnon de table” and he enjoyed his company. His love for the accuracy for his paintings

The two important themes that I identified within this extract are beauty and love. Firstly, beauty is conveyed via descriptions of Ling’s wife. This is evident in the line “ une épouse et la prit très belle”. I think that the beauty of the wife mirrors the appreciation for aesthetics that is clearly evident in the text as if the wife herself, was as beautiful as one of Wang-Fô ‘s paintings. The latter theme is evident in the love for his wife as well. Although the wife is a minor character, I think that she was created as a platform to convey themes such as love and to show that these feelings live on despite the passing of the individual in question. Themes are central to making the story more universal and applicable to the real world.
My opinion of the extract is that it begins to sow the seeds for the development and plot of the story. I genuinely enjoyed the extract as I feel that it evoked strong feelings such as an appreciation for things that we have taken for granted as exemplified when Ling mourns his dead wife and also the feeling of long-lasting friendship which I think is something that everyone can relate to. I find