Point of View

Allen Drury tells his novel “Advise and Consent” in the third-person limited-omniscient narrative mode. Drury’s epic novel spans two weeks in time, but it covers diverse people and diverse events, as well as numerous subplots. The third-person narrator acts as a unifying voice, tying together disparate strands of the plot and providing the reader with a bridge and sense of uniformity to traverse the scope of the plot. The limited-omniscient aspect provides for a sense of drama and suspense in various places, such as when Anderson learns he is being blackmailed, though he does not know by whom. Drama is also created by the narrative point of view when Munson and others wonder consistently throughout the novel why the President is rushing Leffingwell into confirmation.

Language and Meaning

Allen Drury tells his novel “Advise and Consent” in language that is educated and straightforward. The...