The Remains of the Day
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Key Facts
full title · The Remains of the Day
author · Kazuo Ishiguro
type of work · Novel
genre · English aristocratic novel; tragedy; pre-World War II novel
language · English
time and place written · England, late 1980s
date of first publication · 1989
publisher · Faber & Faber Limited
narrator · Stevens, a butler
point of view · First person
tone · Extremely proper and formal diction, with many English locutions, though hints of nostalgia and regret color most of the narrative
tense · Present, when speaking about the present road trip; past, when speaking about memories
setting (time) · Early 1920s–July 1956, with especial focus on the period leading up to World War II
setting (place) · Darlington Hall; Stevens's road trip through the West Country to Little Compton, Cornwall
protagonist · Stevens
major conflict · Stevens's struggle with the knowledge that he has devoted his life to serving a man who may not in fact be a "great gentleman"; his regret that in doing so he has limited his worldview and been unable to accept or express his feelings for Miss Kenton
climax · Stevens's brief meeting with Miss Kenton at the end of the novel
falling action · Stevens's newfound resolve to perfect the art of bantering and to stop thinking about what might have been
themes · Dignity and greatness; regret; loss
motifs · Bantering; Stevens's rhetorical manner
symbols · The English landscape; Stevens's father searching on the steps; Giffen and Co.
foreshadowing · Stevens's occasional offhand allusions to events that turn out to be highly significant later in the narrative
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