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How Is The Suspense Aroused At The Larins Ball And Before The Climax. Work used: Eugene Onegin by A. S. Pushkin (first draft)

At the Tatianas name-day the suspense is aroused through the brilliant use of narrative techniques, and of the delicate allusions that make the dreams fantask foreboding a sound apprehension, as well as through the dark grotesque atmosphere of the scene, the portrayal of Onegin in a monstrous fashion and the escalation of his internal tension that leads to the little revenge-plot at the ball, such one as which never signifies a happy end. Examining the tempo and the action of the textual surroundings first, the name-day party between the Tatianas dream and the Lenskis fatal duel with Onegin is both faster than both action-full scenes and slower than the transitions between itself and the two. The fewminute scenes with intensive action are treated in 11 (dream) and 13 (duel) stanzas. Between the dream and party there is morning and six days in two stanzas and between the party and the duel there is c.36 hours in thirteen stanzas, what is slightly faster than c.12 hours of the party in 18 stanzas. Similarly, the dream is preceded with relatively fast-paced account of Tatianas divinations over three days in ten stanzas. Considering action, in each of these the action rises up to some kind of finale. The divinations end with the dream that is crowned by the prophetic Onegins murder of Lenski, the day before the duel naturally ends with the Lenskis fatal morning, and on the party, at first the reader is served guests and the dinner, and then tension increases with Onegins arrival, his irritation, and swearing to thoroughly avenge himself, with the local climax taking place after his dance and flirtation with Olga had angered Lenski. At Larins on the 12th of January, the guests are coming seit the morning, then there is dinner, the cards are played, the tea is served and the ball begins. Onegin comes in during the

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dinner with Lenski and Lenski leaves during the ball, while Onegin leaves in the morning next day. From the last mention of the outdoors in the stanza V. To the Lenskis dramatic departure in V. The scene is inside the Larins mason, what makes it also the longest sustained settings in the book. Moreover, without any sharp authorial transition, the illusion of the reality is broken only seldom and even though there are few digressions, they are kept brief, of which is symptomatic also the meta-digression on the inappropriateness of another digression in: , through which the Pushkins own voice is emphasising the unusual focus he is giving the scene. This unique and complex narrative accent draws the reader in, the overall relaxed tempo and the sustained illusion of reality, which is deftly supplied with various amusing to terrifying details and allusions, make him intensively attentive, if not alert. Thus, the suspense is created through Pushkins excellent emplotment of the scene.

The occasion lasting full twenty stanzas, it is the longest sustained action in the novel , yet a slow one, only a XYZ of time over x pages. Without any authorial transition, the illusion of the reality is broken only seldom. Symptomatic of this is the meta-digression on digression in : , where the Pushkins own voice is emphasising the unusual focus he has given the scene. This new and complex narrative accent draws the reader in, the slowing down and the sustained illusion of reality, which is deftly supplied with various amusing to terrifying details and allusions, make him intensively attentive, if not alert. Thus, the suspense is created through Pushkins excellent emplotment. A more specific way of fostering suspense at that ball, is through the menacingly grotesque atmosphere inherited partially from the preceding dream of Tatiana, of which it is reminiscent. For example the sketches of arriving guests: of the fat Pustyakov, of Flyanov, a glutton, bribetaker, and bufoon, and of the bespectacled and russet wigged M. Triquet, (V.XXVI.2,14, XXVII.4, p.222); all are grotesque enough to suggest to one the strange hybrids

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seen in V.XVI.9-XVII.10, from among which especially the one with a roosters head (XXVI.10) has blended in my imagination with Triquets russet accessory, so that I envisioned the monsieur with slightly wattle-like beard, small eyes, widely separated from each other in his spectacles, and, upon pronouncing the gratulation, with an obtuse cocks frown of concentration. Moreover, the allusion to those monsters is delicately invoked already at the arrival of the guests in V.XXV, where the lines 11-14:

the bark of pugs, girls smacking kisses, / noise, laughter, a crush at the threshold, / the bows, the scraping of the guests, / wet nurses shouts, and childrens cry. (p.XYZ)

which precede the personal sketches, echo the dizzyingly scary voices from the dream, which, being also mere noun-list of sounds, symmetrically, follow the description of the monsters:

Barks, laughter, singing, whistling, claps / The parle of man, the stamp of steed! (V.XVII.7-8. p.217).

It must be conceded that the comic and rather unpleasant description of the guests on the provincial ball, in comparison with the horror-like hybridity of the dream monsters, emphasises rather the realness of the situation and not its dreamlike character. On the other hand, the heightened notion of reality only helps to evoke an uncertain sense of menace that the foretold sad adventures (V.XXIV.12, p.221) might happen (as the foreseen one, the murder of Lenski, also happens). This because while the monstrosity is certainly appropriate to the dream, and the unappealing grotesque to the reality, their juxtaposition and as if incidental formal correspondence (characters, sounds) makes the shadow of the dream loom over the Larins ball

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with a persuasively threatening whisper of allusions. These are even more insisting portents of the dreams foreboding with the guests hinting to the monsters only slightly, bearing a mere formal resemblance and a such degree of distortion that suggests them, while also reinforcing the realism. In the contrast between the vision and the actuality sharpened thus and with the attention of the reader fostered also by the effect of the reality emphasised for the narrative accent, the menace of the dream whispers piercingly. Later, this threat gets louder when the master of monsters (), i.e. Onegin of the dream, as if reappeared at the ball. Not only does he come after the doors wings are suddenly flung open (), a suspenseful phrase which makes of him arriving a haunting apparition, but also he is again in a commanding position seemingly, when The guests make room, each moves aside / covers, chairs quick; / they call, they seat the pair of friends (XXIX.12-14, p.223) and a while after, irritated at Tatianas tremulous impulse (V.XXXI.7, p.224) he does master them metaphorically when he inwardly began to sketch / caricatures of all the guests. (14) Besides this hint to the dream it bears figuratively, it is an expression of real Onegins aloofness and resulting indifference, and pointing to them it explains why he swore he would madden Lenski / and thoroughly avenge himself. in the same stanza, (11-10). His attitude itself casts the bad-guy-like shadow over his face. However, the real Onegin is most suggestive of the one in Tatianas vision when the reader may detect her amorous fear at: tenderness this look expressed: / it revived Tanyas heart. (VIII.XXXIV.13-14, p.226), being reminded of both his eyes blazing (IV.XLI.5, p.177) when she met him in the garden to hear his preachings, and their reappearance in her dream:

Onegin, his eyes flashing, / making a clatter rises from the table; / all rise; he marches to the door. // And fear assails her; (XVIII.12-XIX.1, p.218).

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Back at the ball, it is easy to imagine Tatiana sensibly shocked, being reminded of his eyes in her haunted memory. Onegins tenderness, even if noted and interpreted correctly, would probably not calmed her down. The tenderness in the desired ones may be terrifying, since it only suddenly intensifies the desire. It is through the lens of Tatianas vision that one may perceive Onegin at the Larins ball, where also guests suggest the monsters of the dream, and Onegin assumes, ironically, without his knowledge, the position of their master. This dark air that embalms him in the scene prepares his image for the following antiheroic role of the Lenskis murderer. This his role, associated with his egoism and pettiness because of which he un caused the revenge-trap Interestingly, Onegin may be perceived thus especially if we see him from Tatianas perspective and sympathise with her. On the other hand, examining also his human side at the ball is helpful to understanding of the conflict underlying his character. It has been noted that his irritation stems only partially from boredom, and partially also from confronting Tatianas distress: but noting the languid maids tremulous impulse, / out of vexation lowering his gaze, / he went into a huff and huming, (XXXI.7-9, p.224), probably fearing some tragiconervous scene, (ibid.1), might happen. However, his attitude towards Tatiana has significantly shifted in V.XXXIV, when the maidens languid air, / her discomposure, lassitude, / engendered pity in his soul: (XXXIV.4-6, p.226). His actions suggest, however, that the spite over petty affairs won over his sympathy, and/or that he did not figure out that his revenge would harm not only Lenski, but also Tatiana.

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