Coraline Analysis

A large portion of this book happens in places that aren't real. That makes for some pretty neat descriptions and fantastical happenings. What's cool, though, is that even this crazy setting is gro...

The narrative technique in Coraline is third person limited, which means that a narrator tells us the story, focusing mostly on one character. In this particular case, an adult narrator tells us Co...

Time for an AdventureWhen Shmoop thinks of adventure, Indiana Jones always comes to mind. Maybe it's something about the music, or maybe it's the fact that a cool dude spends the movies running aro...

Even though there's a third person narrator, we get most of the story from Coraline's point of view, hearing her thoughts and her feelings. This means that Coraline herself pretty much determines t...

As a Matter of Fact...This book is written in a very clear and matter-of-fact style. We get lots of facts and details, and we usually get pretty up-front descriptions. Ever wonder what a little gir...

Coraline is handily named after the lead character in the story, Coraline Jones. It's a pretty basic title. But it's important to notice that the title is just Coraline's name. Many times, a book t...

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten." – G.K. Chesterton First, let's introduce G.K. Chesterton, who lived...

Coraline overcomes great odds, defeats the evil other mother, saves her parents, and rescues the trapped souls of three children. Pretty impressive, don't you think? So why doesn't this book end wi...

Coraline is a children's book in a lot of ways: it stars a child, it has short chapters, and it uses pretty simple language. But Coraline is one of those amazing books that can be read by anyone at...

Exploring New TerrainCoraline and her family have moved into an old house. Coraline gets bored pretty quickly, so she spends her time exploring the house, and finds a weird door with a brick wall b...

Coraline has won a bunch of awards, including a 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, a 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novella, and a 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. (Source.)Cora...

Portia, character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2.8)Ophelia, character in Shakespeare's Hamlet (2.8)Madame Arcati, character in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (2.59)The Nurse, character in...