THREE ESQUIRES— Explanation of Literary Devices

Before my career as a lawyer in private practice that included the trial of cases both jury and non-jury, I was an English major at Williams College. With THREE ESQUIRES, which was written over a 21 year period, I try to accomplish more than a humorous story which is all that many readers will see in the book, and that is fine because my primary purpose is to have the reader enjoy the book. But I also attempt to make THREE ESQUIRES an important literary work, hopefully one of the finest ever by an American author.

I believe the book contains a number of innovative literary techniques. In this regard, I have an extensive background in literature, having read most of what has been written by a good number of classical authors, including Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Arthur Conan Doyle, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, W. Somerset Maugham and Patrick O’Brian. What the fictional Editors complain about in the preamble of the book (page vii) are in actuality some of these innovative literary techniques.  They include the following:

(1) Sometimes when multiple characters are together a new line is not started when a different character speaks; in these instances the interacting conversations are kept together in the same paragraph to reinforce that what is happening is occurring in one place and time.  Because of this “panoramic paragraphing” (my invented phrase) the book is less than 300 pages but would be longer with a standard format of beginning a new line when a different character speaks.

(2) Interruptions of speech and thought are underscored by placing the first letter of the interruption smack up against the last letter of what is being interrupted, underscoring the interruption by interrupting the reader’s thought while reading.  Other authors have effected interruptions through style, but I have not seen it accomplished in the extreme way I have.

(3) Certain passages, from single sentences to elaborate paragraphs, are repeated verbatim later in the text, sometimes adding context to when first displayed but other times (Surprise!) meaning something entirely different. The Editors complain of “dumbfounding duplicity.”

(4) Inappropriate, ridiculous metaphors are inserted and then carried to illogical lengths (“meandering metaphors”) to emphasize the absurdity and add to the humor of the book.

The following literary devices found in the book may not be innovative but are not common:

(1) Each Chapter title is a “Double Entendre” with both meanings found within the chapter. A list identifying the Double Entendres in each chapter is found via this link.  I recommend you defer clicking on the link until you finish the book in order to avoid spoiling the surprises in the book.

(2) The vocabulary intentionally and strategically ranges from the pretentiously high brow to the low level mob vernacular to reflect the layers of society found within the book.

Finally, THREE ESQUIRES is a period piece, set in the early 1970’s when the opportunities for women were (unfortunately) limited. The book reflects that circumstance and not the author’s attitude.