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.
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.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 814 words. This
study guide contains 27,606 words (approx. 92 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Breathing Lessons Access Pass.
