The House of the Spirits
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Key Facts
full title · The House of the Spirits
author · Isabel Allende
type of work · Novel
genre · Magical realism
language · Spanish
time and place written · 1981, Venezuela
date of first publication · First publication in Spanish, 1982. First publication in English, 1985.
publisher · Plaza & Janes, in Spanish. Knopf, in English.
narrator · Alba and Esteban Trueba
climax · None, although there are many moments which appear to be a climax, notably each birth and each death
protagonists · Clara, Blanca, and Alba
settings (time) · The twentieth century
settings (place) · Tres Marias and the capital of an unspecified Latin American country
point of view · The point of view switches between the first person of Esteban and a third person omniscient narrator who turns out to be Alba
falling action · Chapter fourteen, The Terror, when Alba is abducted by Esteban Garcia, and Esteban Trueba realizes how much damage he has caused
tense · Past and future
tones · Calm and dispassionate, even while presenting extremely violent, passionate, and unbelievable events (characteristic of magical realism)
motifs · Class struggle; political upheaval; women's roles and rights; the power of writing; fate and free will; genealogy and inheritance; revenge
foreshadowing · Throughout the novel
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