Key Facts
full title ·
The Shipping News
author · E. Annie Proulx
type of work · Novel
genre · Hero quest, regionalism, novel of social critique
language · English
time and place written · Early 1990's, Newfoundland and Vermont
date of first publication · 1994
publisher · Simon and Schuster
narrator · Omniscient
climax · The major climax of the novel occurs at the scene of Jack's wake, when the dead man begins to cough.
protagonist · Quoyle
antagonist · Guy Quoyle, Tert Card, Nolan Quoyle, Petal Bear, social change
setting (time) · Early 1990's
setting (place) · Mostly Newfoundland
point of view · Omniscient
falling action · Dennis and Quoyle follow Jack's ambulance to the hospital, where Dennis hopes to take over his father's lobster license; Wavey and Quoyle get married.
tense · Recent Past
foreshadowing · The white dog and knotted twine foreshadow the cousin's presence in Newfoundland; Bunny's dream foreshadows the destruction of the family house; Quoyle's kiss foreshadows his marriage with Wavey.
tone · Darkly comic
themes · Social and economic change, ancestry and familial ties, regional lifestyle
motifs · Oral literature, "how-to" genre, knots and tying
symbols · Knots and tying, silver, bright colors, family house, white dog
