Literary Devices in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Let's take a moment to look at a photo of the Met and imagine how Claudia and Jamie must have felt when they reached this imposing, beautiful building that held one of the world's finest art collec...
Narrator Point of View
How weird is it that the whole story is told from Mrs. Frankweiler's perspective, even though she's not involved in most of it? At first glance (if you ignore the introduction), you might think tha...
Genre
Yeah, there are some pretty "adult" things going on in this book. We don't mean violence, sex, or anything like that, but there are elements that usually aren't considered kid-friendly topics. Art...
Tone
The story is told from the point of view of Mrs. Frankweiler, who is both perfectly matter-of-fact and very old (82 years old, to be exact). With all those years under her undoubtedly expensive bel...
Writing Style
To our dear readers,Let us explain to you the writing style in the book at hand. Though we could concisely tell you (in very few words) why we are writing this letter, we will instead, for some rea...
What's Up With the Title?
"And I don't want my files messed up or placed out of order. They're in a special order that makes sense only to me." (9.178) Let's hear about this whole filing cabinet business from Mrs. Frankweil...
What's Up With the Ending?
Everything ties up neatly at the end of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, kind of like a perfectly wrapped gift. The secret of the angel is resolved, the kids go back to their p...
Tough-o-Meter
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is quite a breezy read for an early reader. There's adventure galore, and the simple sentence structure and all the dialogue keeps the story (an...
Plot Analysis
The Runaways Claudia Kinkaid decides that she's going to run away—and that her brother Jamie will be going with her (something he doesn't know yet). In the initial set-up, we see Claudia as a p...
Trivia
Talk about art imitating life. Konigsburg's whole idea for The Mixed-Up Files began with an article she read in the paper about the Met acquiring a statue for $225. Sound familiar? (Source.)You mig...
Steaminess Rating
Lots of art, no steam.
Allusions
This book is all about the mystery behind Michelangelo's artwork, and it's no wonder that Konigsburg picked this particular artist to focus on. Michelangelo is considered one of the great masters o...