The arrangement of The Ipcress File begins with a Prologue, which provides the motive for the telling of the story by the nameless narrator-protagonist, a member of the British secret intelligence service. He was instrumental in solving a security case of major importance, and therefore the Minister of Defense wishes to hear the story directly from him. The telling of the story then occupies thirty-two chapters. Each chapter is headed by an astrological forecast of coming events based on the future of a person born under the sign of Aquarius, the Water Bearer, during the zodiacal period of January 20-February 18 (Deighton was born on February 18), and the prediction often turns out to be ironical. In respect to the narrative, it is important to draw a distinction between the events themselves, the history or legend, and the way this history is told, the mythos or discourse, because the latter...