Analysis

1. The title is given (think how it is related to the subject and the idea of the story).

The title of the story is “A Very Dangerous Invention”.

2. Use books or Internet for reference to find out the basic facts about the author. Mind that it is preferable to mention the facts that are essential or in some way helpful for the interpretation of the text. These are primarily the country he/she lived and worked in, the time span of creative activity, the most famous works and their genre, target audience, the degree of popularity, the main reasons for becoming famous/classic.

It was written by (The author of the story is) Max Adeler.

Max Adeler is the pen name of the American writer Charles Heber Clark, who lived in the second half of the XIXth – the beginning of the XXth century. He is known mostly as the author of the collection of eccentric and humorous stories “Out of the Hurly Burly”. The text that is being analyzed is a part of this book.

3. “A Very Dangerous Invention” is a humorous short story. (It is fiction though the author might have used details from real life).

4. The subject of the story is the purchase of a combination step-ladder which could also be used as a settee and an ironing-table and which was supposed to be very useful.

5. To give plot summary it is essential to analyze the paragraphs.

Typically all good writing is carried out in coherent, clear-cut and at the same time logically connected paragraphs. A proper paragraph usually contains a main idea (a thesis) and a number of supporting details. For recounting the sequence of events it is necessary to define the main idea of each paragraph. In other words, to give a concise and logical plot summary you should understand what each paragraph boils down to.

To make the summary coherent use temporal or cause-effect linking words and phrases (e.g. after that, finally, as a result etc.). See Appendix 5 – Useful Vocabulary.

The sample text contains 7 paragraphs. Note how the following sentences correspondingly convey their main ideas and, accompanied by a few supporting details, make up a summary. Pay attention to the use of linking words and phrases.

(1) The story opens with the description of the functions which a step-ladder can have in a household.

(2) However, the narrator advises against buying one particular model, namely the one which combines three functions: a step-ladder, an ironing-table and a settee. The narrator himself bought such a step-ladder and soon discovered it was not as useful as the shop assistant had promised.

(3) In fact, the three-functional step-ladder proved dangerous. For example, the narrator’s maid-servant fell down from it as the step-ladder unexpectedly turned into an ironing-table.

(4) Then the narrator decided to use the step-ladder only as an ironing-table, but someone accidentally knocked against it. As a result, the ironing-table turned into a step-ladder causing further damage. (5) Finally, the narrator tried using the step-ladder as a settee, but this attempt was not successful either.

(6) After that the step-ladder became so sensitive that it transformed even after slightest disturbances. Therefore, it was dangerous to keep it in the house.

(7) So, in the end, the narrator regretted his purchase and was thinking of a way to get rid of the step-ladder.

6. Composition in a story shows the development of action. The action of a story is a sequence of events usually arranged so as to have three recognizable parts: the beginning (exposition where the setting is usually described), the middle (rising action with a series of turning-points and climax) and the end (outcome, or dénouement).

In contrast to real life, action in fiction is usually ordered. It imitates in words a series of human activities with a power to affect the reader’s opinions and emotions in a certain way. This is the basic principle of fiction which arouses the readers’ interest: it makes them eager to learn what is going to happen and how the problems faced by the characters are going to be solved. Action produces tension, suspense or surprise.

The story is set in a typical house where a step-ladder is supposed to be a very useful item.

The action begins when the narrator buys a combination step-ladder which he expects to be of great use. The plot develops as the narrator tries using the step-ladder in all its functions one by one. Each time the step-ladder fails to fulfil its function, and, on the contrary, causes damage.

The story reaches its climax when the step-ladder becomes so sensitive that it proves dangerous to keep. Here the author obviously uses hyperbole [exaggerates things] to make his point clearer.

In the dénouement the narrator makes up his mind to get rid of the step-ladder and to sell it to a museum as a curiosity.

7. The story is told by a first-person narrator because he relates what happened to himself. This underscores that the advice against buying the combination step-ladder given in the story is sincere and is based on personal experience.

8. In the story which is being analyzed there are no “proper” characters. However, in this case we can still distinguish the narrator as a character and the step-ladder, which is in the centre of the plot.

The servants may be considered as supporting characters.

For a more detailed description of human characters see Appendix 3.

The main “character” of the story is a three-functional step-ladder which is personified: it is “too sensitive” and behaves in an unpredictable way, it does not obey the will of its owner, causes damage in the household and seems to do so on purpose. It can be described as “temperamental” (it does not work properly). The author uses mixed method while describing the step-ladder. On the one hand, the narrator explicitly speaks of it as “not so useful”, “too sensitive” and as “a curiosity” (direct method). For the most part, however, the step-ladder “acts” for itself supporting the narrator’s description (indirect method).

The other main character is the narrator himself. At the beginning of the story he considers himself practical but in fact he is a bit naïve as he believes everything the shop assistant tells him. The narrator is honest and self-critical as he recognizes his mistake. We can also note that he has a sense of humour as at the end, in spite of money loss and the damage, the narrator speaks of the step-ladder as a curiosity fit for museums. Hence, the narrator is a dynamic character as he becomes more experienced towards the end of the story.

There are several supporting characters. They are the narrator’s servants. Their function is to illustrate the misfortunes caused by the step-ladder.

Mind that it is advisable to give reasoning based on details taken from the text while ascribing certain personal traits to the characters.

9. The central idea of the story is that customers should, perhaps, be more critical about new products, especially those which seem to economize their money by combining several functions. The three-functional step-ladder symbolizes all the products which are seemingly designed for the convenience of the customers but in fact prove useless and even harmful. This idea is conveyed in an amusing manner as the narrator tells what happened to himself with a sense of humour. The title of the story reflects its subject matter, foreshadows the development of action and hints at the central idea.