The theme and concept of place is widely used in literature. This is because the characters and objects used by the author have to be placed somewhere. In this particular work of literature, the author starts with a mention of a place (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009).
The main character is depicted as somebody who is willing to settle in a nice place. In this particular instance, the main character desires to be in a particular geographical place described as a village. This is the place that she used to live in seven years ago.
The picture of the place is only constructed in the mind. This is because the character does not make a drawing for a visual and real understanding of the place. However, with a vivid description of the serenity of the place, the geographical area comes to mind. It is a place that anyone reading the work of Jane Urquhart is be able to describe.
The author is successful in bringing in a big sense of description for the purposes of clarity. The author starts the description of the place in the title. This title mentions a return to the village, and therefore, a reader gets a vague description of the place right from the start.
The use of space is brought in by the way the character brings in various aspects together. For example, the studio and the church are mentioned in the description. Also the village being the larger place is qualified by the kind of environment surrounding it. For example, the place is serene meaning that there are possible trees swinging forth and back bringing in coolness and fresh air.
There are also some activities which are used to describe this place. For example, the use of fire, cleaning of the house, attending various seminars, collecting fire sticks and attending the religious services help in providing a quality picture of the place.
Since the main character is just reminiscing about this place, it can be therefore understood that she gives lots of importance to the place. The main character wants to put herself back into the place and do what she always liked doing; exploration (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009). By this therefore, it is clear that the place or the village is vast to be explored.
The author is also successful in describing the place by placing some importance. For example, the reason why the main character is keen to go back to the village is because it was a place that helped her start writing. She is a novelist who gained her art skills from the village. Being outside the village had made her alienated from the real world; a world that made her what she is today. Generally, the author has used the ‘place’ as her main theme, and uses different forms to bring this out.
Easter in Sicily by Mary Taylor Simeti
The author starts by mentioning a place, Prizzi. Even though the attention is on the Easter Afternoon, and where the Easter Afternoon takes place is Prizzi. Mentioning the activity without the place would have left a vacuum of thoughts in the minds of the reader. The author quickly turns to another place, Selinunte by using the main character as the narrator.
This place is mentioned because it is important in the overall place description by the narrator. This place is Sicily in Greek which is the overall place described by the author.
However, Selinunte is the place that attracts the attention of the author and the narrator. It is a place that was deserted 20 years ago but which now has revived, Sicily City. Various forms make the reader understand that the place had been deserted. For example, there is the use of bare bones, careless heaps and abandoned building blocks (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009).
The narrator notes that it is a place that cannot be accessed easily. The present day has seen the place becomes live again. Today, it cannot be accessed because there are many people who gather making the place quite crowded.
The place is described as having improved as time progresses. According to Buscemi, Smith and Wiznura (2009), there was only a handful of people in this place 20 years ago. However, the place cannot now be accessed because there are lots of people and the packing slots are all occupied. Therefore, other than the concept of place, the author is successful in describing time.
The mentioning of particular names of the place helps in describing more the Easter and Sicily as the overall place intended by the author and the narrator. For example, the narrator mentions Caltabellotta as one of the areas in this place. The author in this case not only describes a mental picture but also qualifies it by giving names to it.
This is good because, since it is a place on the world map, the reader can visualize more. This is different from a situation where the author only gives general titles such as village, or city, or market place. The name Caltabellotta is on the map of the world, and therefore gives the readers a clear picture of the roads and the overall place where the narrator had gone.
The author is also successful in painting a vivid picture of the descriptions of the place. For example, the narrator mentions Norman Church, which is described as having weathered gray stone (Buscemi, Smith & Wiznura, 2009). This does not only show the general religious affiliation of the place, but also gives a general picture of outlook.
Even though some mentioning such as Gothic Portal may not describe the whole region or place, it is a good way to show how important parts of the place are. For example, it can be said that people in this region adhere to some cultures. The mentioning of some individual names is important in describing the place; for example, the narrator mentions Michael as part of the entourage to the city.
Reference
Buscemi, S. V., Smith, C. & Wiznura, R. (2009). 75 Readings Plus. New York: McGraw-Hill.