Bowen

CHAPTER 1 :
Death of the Heart : Elizabeth Bowen

The story starts with a pictorial description of Anna and St Quentin on a bridge (everything appears to bemotionless).
Suspense is settled on « the thing » they are talking about, later, the reader understands that it is Portia's diary.
There is a blur on what therelationships are between Portia,St Quentin and Anna ( We learn that Thomas is Portia's stepbrother).
We learn that Anna feels uncomfortable when Portia is with her.
Also, inthis first chapter, we notice the absence of St Quentin, he appears not to listen to Anna. There is an underlying boredom.
Then, there is a physical description of StQuentin, we can notice fickleness throughout the evocation of his walking speed.
Finally, Anna tells St Quentin the story of Portia’s birth.
First, Portia was given toAnna and Thomas according to the will of dying M. Quayne (father of Portia and Thomas), M. Quayne was excluded from Thomas education.
Thomas' mother (first Ms Quayne) isdescribed as a very authoritarian woman whereas M. Quayne is described as a very passive man “ While he was with her, he always felt simply fine, he had to”. M. Quayne andhis first wife used to live in Dorset but M. Quayne often went to London to visit old friends, and at a party at Wimbledon, he met Irene and committed adultery. M. Quaynetells his wife about it and ask to come back to Dorset, but “Irene has started Portia”. Thus, his wife tells him that Moral wants him to marry Irene, what he does.Finally, we learn that M.Quayne did not have a lot of money , and that Anna met Portia for the first time when she came to her house after her father's death.

Lou.Dantreuille.