The Butterfly Lampshade
comment on structure
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The novel is divided into five parts: Part One, "Tent," Part Two, "Locks," Part Three, "Butterfly," Part Four, "Beetle," and Part Five, "Rose." These larger sections contain 65 smaller chapters in total. While some of the chapters are a traditional length, others are a single paragraph or sentence. Similarly, while many of the chapters adopt a conventional narrative structure, others strictly convey dialogue, excerpts from letters or essays, or describe a single image or minute instance from Francie's memory. In this way, the overall narrative structure resembles a patchwork, thus enacting Francie's work to knit her scattered memories back together in order to understand them.