Literary Devices in The Luminaries
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
From all reports, the Hokitika of the novel is a bit rough around the edges by British a.k.a. "civilized" standards, since the arrival of the gold rush crowd was relatively recent when the novel op...
Narrator Point of View
As third person narrators go, this one really takes omniscience to new levels. Whereas most narrators only comment on a few characters within a very specific corner of the earth, taking a kind of b...
Genre
The novel is set during the 19th century New Zealand gold rush—which, in case you weren't aware, was actually a real thing. Although Catton may have taken some "liberties" with the actual history...
Tone
As we've already discussed in the "Narrator Point of View" section, the narrator takes a kind of uber omniscient perspective on everything that happens in the novel, not only weaving in and out of...
Writing Style
Catton is trying to mimic the style and diction of the Victorian novel, and she does it very well. Her language definitely evokes the crispness and propriety of Victorian prose—and speaking of pr...
What's Up With the Title?
As we've already mentioned elsewhere, the title refers to our solar system's sun and moon—and their correspondents among the book's humans are Anna Wetherell and Emery Staines. It's very importan...
What's Up With the Ending?
After waiting around for 800 pages to get to the truth of what happened the night Crosbie Wells died, including a few chapters of flashbacks that seem to be moving right toward those big reveals, t...
Tough-o-Meter
Given the book's length, you'll be relieved to know that Catton's prose is very readable and flies right by. That said, it is written in the style of a Victorian sensation novel, so you're dealing...
Plot Analysis
Just Sit Right Back And You'll Hear A Tale The book opens on January 27, 1866. A man named Walter Moody has come to Hokitika, a New Zealand town in the throes of gold mining-mania, to try his hand...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
NOTE: The Luminaries is a bit tough to chart in terms of Booker's code, since it's not really all that interested in its "protagonist," i.e., Walter Moody. In fact, it's really not interested in th...
Three-Act Plot Analysis
Walter Moody comes to Hokitika one stormy evening, his ship (the Godspeed) almost wrecking before he can get onshore. On top of the bumpy ride, he saw something weird on board, so he's really looki...
Trivia
Catton is the youngest person ever to win the Booker Prize, and her book the longest winner. Way to break two records at once. (Source)Te Rau Tauwhare is based on a real person. (Source)Eleanor Cat...
Steaminess Rating
The novel is written in a Victorian style, so it's not exactly Fifty Shades of Grey. However, one of our main characters is a member of the world's oldest profession, and so Anna's morality and "ex...
Allusions
Charon (I.1.87)Cicero (V.2.8)Milton, John, Paradise Lost (I.6.3)The Romantics (V.2.8)Van Dyck, Anthony (I.1.4)Seneca (V.2.8)Albert, Prince Consort (I.1.5)Prince of Wales (throughout; it's the name...