Point of View

“The Lantern Bearers” by Rosemary Sutcliff is told in the third person narrative from chiefly the perspective of the protagonist Aquila. By telling the story from this point of view, the author allows the reader to be privy to the thoughts, intentions, emotions and motivations of the character. The author uses limited omniscience to provide the thoughts and motivations of a limited number of characters in addition to the protagonist.

Language and Meaning

“The Lantern Bearers” by Rosemary Sutcliff was first published in 1950. As such the writing style falls in the category of lyrical prose. While compelling and appealing, this style of writing is concerned by some in the present day as over-writing. The story is rife with detailed and flowery descriptions that create images and illusions. The author goes to great lengths to provide depictions that sparks one's imagination in a dreamy fantasy type...