Duck Cakes For Sale by Janet Lunn and Kim LaFave Analysis

STORY STRUCTURE OF DUCK CAKES FOR SALE

Duck Cakes For Sale cover

Duck Cakes For Sale from 1989 is an example of the circular story, in which the picture book ends, but we suspect exactly the same thing is going to happen again, because the main character hasn’t had a anagnorisis. Like a Chekhovian short story, picture books often elicit the revelation from the young reader; the character remains unchanged, much like a sit-come character.

This old lady reminds me of a skit of comedian Catherine Tate, in which she plays a woman who can’t bear the smallest sound, including her husband’s chewing of toast: “For God’s sake. We moved to the country for some peace and quiet!”

A lot of children’s books express the idea that the countryside is far superior to the city, but here that general ideology is subverted somewhat when we realise that, ironically, the old lady who has moved to the country for the express purpose of peace and quiet still manages to create her own cacophony.

This is also an example of a story in which a character’s plan goes wrong, and her subsequent plans to fix the situation make everything worse for a while — to a comical degree.

SHORTCOMING

The old woman has moved to the country for some peace and quiet.

Duck Cakes For Sale opening page_700x737

DESIRE

She wants to live the country life, free from noise.

OPPONENT

Though he means well, the man who offers her two duck eggs when she asked for one has set her up nicely for failure.

PLAN

The old woman plans to get a duck.

BIG STRUGGLE

The ducks mate with each other and the old woman is overrun. Attempts to deal with this problem are made worse before they come good; once she starts to sell egg and duck products, hoards of customers arrive from the city.

ANAGNORISIS

The old woman has no anagnorisis. The ducks take themselves off.

NEW SITUATION

We see the old woman hasn’t learnt her lesson — or perhaps she has — will she be happy with one red hen or accept two?

CONTEMPORARY FICTION SET IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (2023)

On paper, things look fine. Sam Dennon recently inherited significant wealth from his uncle. As a respected architect, Sam spends his days thinking about the family needs and rich lives of his clients. But privately? Even his enduring love of amateur astronomy is on the wane. Sam has built a sustainable-architecture display home for himself but hasn’t yet moved into it, preferring to sleep in his cocoon of a campervan. Although they never announced it publicly, Sam’s wife and business partner ended their marriage years ago due to lack of intimacy, leaving Sam with the sense he is irreparably broken.

Now his beloved uncle has died. An intensifying fear manifests as health anxiety, with night terrors from a half-remembered early childhood event. To assuage the loneliness, Sam embarks on a Personal Happiness Project:

1. Get a pet dog

2. Find a friend. Just one. Not too intense.

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