The Fly-Paper

I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen “The Fly-Paper” af Elizabeth Taylor. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til fortolkning og perspektivering.

Præsentation af teksten

Titel: The Fly-Paper (1969)
Forfatter: Elizabeth Taylor
Genre: Short story

Elizabeth Taylor (1912-1975) var en engelsk forfatter, hvis værker ofte har fokus på hverdagslivet hos den engelske middelklasse og overklasse.

Novellen “The Fly-Paper” blev første gang udgivet i The Cornhill Magazine. Senere blev den også inkluderet i novellesamlingen The Devastating Boys (1972).

Uddrag

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Title

The title of the short story “The Fly-Paper” by Elizabeth Taylor has an important symbolic significance and is connected with the main theme and the relationship between the characters.

Fly-paper is coated with a sticky poisoned substance which has a scent that attract flies. Once the fly gets caught on the paper, it is trapped and killed by the very same substance which initially attracted it. The parallel with Sylvia’s situation is obvious. Scared by Herbert, she is lulled into a false sense of security by Mabel’s kind, motherly attitude, only to end up trapped in a situation without the possibility of escape. Although the story stops abruptly, it seems that Sylvia will share the inevitable fate of the trapped flies.

The title also refers to the couple’s method of abducting Sylvia. Herbert engages Sylvia in conversation, while the Mabel pretends to show disapproval. The trap is set as Mabel “rescues” Sylvia from Herbert and offers a safe place, luring her into the house. Once Sylvia enters the house, she is caught just like the flies on the fly-paper.