Point of View

On one level, the book's overall point of view is simultaneously objective and subjective. The author is simultaneously analytical and creative, developing his thematic premise with a somewhat clinical approach, by exploring each narrative technique in systematic turn while writing with a particular intent (see "Themes—Celebrating Language" and "Satire"). This gives the book a strong undertone of subjective irreverence and can be seen as an effective application of a fundamental maxim of education—do not let people know they are being taught. In other words, in his determination to open people (particularly the French—see "Characters—The French") to the possibilities of language, the author is writing from the point of view that if a lesson is disguised (particularly with humor, as it often is here), it is much easier for those being taught to both hear and learn.

On another...