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Aesthetic Devices In About A Boy By Nick Hornby

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Analysis of Aesthetic devices in 'About a Boy'
About a boy, written in 1998 by Nick Hornby explores the themes of mental health, 1990's culture and family through the friendship of two characters; Will, a thirty-six-year-old bachelor and Marcus, A 12-year-old outcast. In about a boy, the author has used a range of aesthetic devices that shape character representation. An Aesthetic device is an element that authors intentionally use to create intellectual/emotional responses in their novel. This analytical essay will explore how Nick Hornby has used irony, point of view and stream of consciousness to shape character representation.
Irony is a technique that is used (through a character or plot development) to convey an intention or attitude opposite to what is literally stated. In essence, irony is humour based on opposites and contradiction. It is supposed to make the reader laugh due to the mismatched characteristics of specific situations. About a Boy by Nick Hornby explores significant issues through the use of humour. Techniques such as Irony, ridiculous situations and vivid imagery encourage the audience to laugh while simultaneously being challenged to think about serious issues such as mental health, bullying and relationships. This is meant to elicit an emotional response within the reader. An example of irony in About A Boy is the Dead duck scene, where the humour of Marcus killing a duck with a loaf of bread foreshadows the solemn event of Fiona’s Attempted suicide. The initial humour of Marcus killing the duck is slapstick. This is evident when the text states “Marcus couldn’t believe it. A dead duck. Ok, he tried to hit it with a piece of sandwich” and when will says “that’s not a sandwich, that’s a bloody French loaf. No wonder it keeled over. These two humorous statements contrast with Fiona’s attempted suicide. The dead duck scene combined with Fiona's attempted suicide encourage the reader to reflect on the seriousness of mental health, as this event is unexpected after the previous (dead duck) situation.
Point of view is a literary device used to depict the perceptions and opinions of different characters. Essentially, the point of view allows readers to form a relationship and

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