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The Circular Staircase · Chapter

List of Illustrations explained

This chapter provides a detailed floor plan of the first floor of Sunnyside, describing the layout of the east and west wings, including rooms such as the living room, drawing room, billiard room, card room, library, dining room, breakfast

What happens

This chapter provides a detailed floor plan of the first floor of Sunnyside, describing the layout of the east and west wings, including rooms such as the living room, drawing room, billiard room, card room, library, dining room, breakfast room, butler's pantry, kitchen, scullery, servants' dining room, housekeeper's office, and the main hall with staircase. It also notes exterior features like verandas, a terrace, conservatory, and porches.

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Resolution.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when the narrator, for the first time in twenty y…

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