Breathing Lessons Style

Breathing Lessons Style

Point of View

Breathing Lessons utilizes a third-person omniscient narrative, with the middle section told from Ira's point of view. The first and last sections are Maggie's interpretations of events The two viewpoints allow both character to provide their perspective on their lives and long marriage.

Comedy of Manners

Works that are considered "comedy of manners" are witty and cerebral. In such works, the characters struggle to uphold appearances and social standards. The plot normally revolves around a sexual affair, or another sort of scandal. Like all comedies, the comedy of manners uses humor to teach a lesson. The greatest modern artist who wrote such works was the French playwright, Moliere. He pokes fun of society's morality, especially in terms of the religious hypocrisy that marked the seventeenth century. A more recent example in English is Oscar Wilde. His Importance of Being Earnest (1899) is a brilliant examination of the hypocrisy in British society.