Jurassic Park
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Key Facts
full title · Jurassic Park
author · Michael Crichton
type of work · Novel
genre · Science fiction, thriller
language · English
time and place written · Late 1980s, United States
date of first publication · 1990
publisher · Alfred A. Knopf
narrator · The narrator is always a single, detached third person voice; generally, the perspective changes several times within a chapter, switching from character to character; the narrator describes everything from the actions and feelings of the individual characters to pertinent background information and personal histories
point of view · The point of view is third person omniscient.
tone · The narrator delivers the story in a dry, almost clinical tone, relating the events that transpire almost as if they are evidence being presented in a trial.
tense · Past tense
setting (time) · 1990
setting (place) · Primarily Costa Rica and Isla Nublar, a small island off of Costa Rica; several scenes take place in various locations across the United States
protagonist · Primarily Grant, though certain scenes focus on the events that befall Tim
major conflict · Though Malcolm and others repeatedly warn Hammond that the park is unsafe, his combination of greed and obsessive vision cause him to refuse to close the park; when the power shuts down, the dinosaur run loose and try to hunt down their creators and former captors
rising action · Nedry jams the computer system, which shuts down the security system, deactivates the electric fences, and stalls the automated touring cars
climax · The tyrannosaurus, the largest dinosaur in the park, attacks the Land Rover in which Hammond's grandchildren are riding
falling action · Regis and Malcolm run from their cars; Grant and the kids are forced to flee into the park; Arnold restores the computer network
themes · The potential dangers of technology
motifs · Similarities between birds and dinosaurs; chaos theory
symbols · The hupia
foreshadowing · The three-toed lizard that attacks Tina at the novel's opening has all of the descriptive features of a young velociraptor, the same species seen sneaking onto the supply ship
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