1. “The Demon Lover”
By Elizabeth Bowen

2. “The Demon Lover” Allusion English Ballad Absent lover
Intervening marriage
Desertion upon lover’s return

3. “The Demon Lover” Setting and Mood PRESENT
Month and year: August, 1941
War: London Blitz WWII
House with cracks on a deserted street
Weather: Humid, sunny day interrupted by rain
PAST
August 1916, WWI

4. “The Demon Lover” Setting and Mood Shut-up house Steamy, showery day
Humid, yellow, afternoon sun
Batch of clouds…ink-dark
Broken chimney
Cat wove itself
No human eye watcher Mrs. Drover’s return

5. “The Demon Lover” Setting and Mood Death and Decay
War destroyed London - blitz
Buildings and silence
Abandoned
Lives lost

6. Flashback & Foreshadowing
“The Demon Lover”
Flashback & Foreshadowing
Fiancé left for war and went missing
Letter signed “K” from fiancé
Fiancé alive
Indicates she might have to confront him
She broke promise

7. “The Demon Lover” PoV 3rd Person Omniscient
God-like perspective not restricted to time and place
Switches to 1st person – why?

8. “The Demon Lover” Protagonist Mrs. Kathleen Drover
Age:
44 years old
Family:
husband, 3 boys, sister
Physical appearance
Thin from wartime rations
Stability and dependability
Completely unnerved by the letter

9. “The Demon Lover” Symbolism Structurally unsound HOUSE Wartime damage
Mrs. Drover’s PSYCHE is damaged by war
Muscular flicker on the side of her mouth
Lost husband, displaced family
Letter and taxi – exist??

10. “The Demon Lover” Symbolism The CLOCK Passage of time
Importance of time
WWI – peace – WWII

11. “The Demon Lover” Symbolism The LETTER Signed by “K” – her own initial
WWII triggers repressed memories of WWI – lover
Cannot remember lover’s face (may be Everyman)
War is a DEMON that lingers over her

12. “The Demon Lover” Symbolism The TAXI and the DRIVER
Knows where to take her
Heaven (save) or Hell (torture)
Can’t escape from taxi…WAR
Driver
Only sees his face
Can’t remember face of fiancé
Does it/he exist??
Who do you think it is??

13. “The Demon Lover” Themes Appearance vs. Reality
Similar to “The Necklace”
Heaven vs. Hell
Sanity vs. Insanity

14. “The Demon Lover” Themes Death vs. Life – surviving the war
War vs. Peace – after WWI
War disrupts Drover’s family
Takes her fiancé
Internal war of lover returning
War or driver cause her to scream in taxi?

15. “The Demon Lover” By Elizabeth Bowen
Does she see the visage of her fiancé? OR
Does she have an emotional and psychological breakdown?