Commentary on Earl Lovelace(TM)s 'The Dragon Can(TM)t Dance'

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Commentary on Earl Lovelace's The Dragon Can't Dance

In this extract taken from Earl Lovelace's The Dragon Can't Dance, the writer describes the preparations for an annual carnival through the third-person view of Aldrick Prospect, a man who has spent an entire year since the previous year's Carnival getting ready for the one currently taking place. The text includes two paragraphs of similar lengths, but with dissimilar sentence structures. There are only two sentences in the first paragraph, with the first one being especially lengthy, while the second paragraph of the extract consists of more sentences of just average length making it obvious that the first sentence of the text had been written long intentionally. Lovelace uses many literary techniques in the text in addition to writing in the third-person, most notably alliteration, consonance, repetition, and a great variety in his diction, in order to achieve an intriguing and detailed description of the Carnival. Through Aldrick's eyes, the writer is able to describe the traditions and the history behind the celebration and Lovelace does so in a nostalgic, reflective and wistful tone, causing the mood and atmosphere to be less celebratory as would be expected of a narrative about