The text analysis

Contextualization
Period
And context
Which period does the author, text belong to?
Genre:
Narrative, fiction, poetry, drama
Genres/subgenres, authors techniques specific to it
How the genre has developed through different periods?
Themes
Which are the universal themes used? How are the themes dealt with by the author? Could be
more than one in a text
Mode of discourse
First person narrator, third person narrator, omniscient, obtrusive- gets into the narration, fallible
narrator.
Type of narrator, point of view
Literary and Stylistic techniques
Style
Style in literature in the literary element that describes the ways author uses words
Word choice, figures of speech, sentence structure, figurative language, sentence arrangement,
that give the mood, images, meaning of the text. How the author describes events, objects,
ideas.
Other elements of literary style:
Tone, character development, imagery, symbols, setting, form, figures of speech, register,
vocabulary sentence structure and semantic fields.
To analyse, The stolen bacillus
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

State the plot

Character development
Tone
Setting
Register, vocabulary, sentence structure and semantic fields. For higher mark.

Analysis of the story: The stolen bacillus

1. State the plot

The story is about an anarchist who steals a bacillus from a bacteriologist. The anarchist
thinks that he has stolen the bacteria of the cholera, which he wanted to use to infect the
while of London. Under pressure he consumes the bacteria, however he stole the wrong
bacillus, which only turns his skin purple and hence does not have any effect on the rest
of London. Wells includes both comical elements and tension in the story.
H.G. Wells's "The Stolen Bacillus" is a satirical short story about the potential role of
science and scientists in facilitating bio-terrorism. This is done by having a very
intelligent bacteriologist being ignorant about the consequences of his work.
How an anarchist is visiting a bacteriologists laboratory in London. He steals a vial
containing the cholera bacteria and tries to poison the water supply of the city.
1. Character development
How are the character portrayed in the text?
The Bacteriologist
The Bacteriologist is so pleased with his own work that he gives the Anarchist access to it,
and in and mentions the power of the cholera bacillus (which he feels he has in his own power).
He gives the Anarchist the information he needs to recognize bio-forms as an effective
weapon.
Fortuitously, the scientist has been dishonest about the bacteria he was showing off, so that the
epidemic will be not cholera but something presumably less lethal and comically visible.
Disturbingly, though, we realize that the scientist's motivation for chasing the thief was not to
prevent a deadly outbreak, but to avoid the trouble of making another culture of his interesting
new bacterium.
The scientist is revealed, in his lack of concern for ethics, as being an unwitting agent of
anarchy himself. In the final paragraph, he submits to the civilizing influence of his wife, and
puts on his coat, not because he cares about appearing decent but because he couldn't be
bothered to resist her. He just wants to get back to his lab.
The bacteriologist is portrayed as intelligent. He wants to show off, shown as a boastful person
towards the end of the story this is described.
Wells has thrown light on the character sketches too. The bacteriologist can be summed up
as an obsessed scientist, philanthropist, and a submissive husband. His boastful nature
plays a crucial role in advocating terrorism. His human side is shown as he wishes to kill
and stain' every bacterium in the world. However, his unethical side is shown as he doesn't
bother to stop the anarchist and intends, is thinks of returning to the laboratory and carrying on
with his research. He is least concerned about the after effects of letting him loose.

The Anarchist
When his first plan fails and he swallows the vial's contents himself, the Anarchist becomes a
suicidal martyr to his cause and no longer needs to escape his pursuers. He triumphantly
confronts them and then wanders off into the city, "carefully jostling his infected body against
as many people as possible".
Thanks to the Anarchist, London has now become the scientist's laboratory: "things might look
blue for this civilised city," he says. He jokes on the behalf of this matter.
The anarchist is portrayed to be an unappealing character. He is described as lank black
hair and deep grey eyes, the haggard expression adjectives such as haggard and
lank gives an unpleasant impression of the anarchist. The unattractive description may
also indicate the anarchists personality and intentions.
Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
The anarchist is a misanthrope. Desperate to earn some fame and upheaval among common
people he takes to this route. He is conspiring and aims to do bad to mankind. He has little
knowledge and readily falls for the bacteriologist's trick. The anarchist calls others of his kind
'blind fools' to use bombshells when such a thing is attainable. This highlight the blind faith the
anarchist had that the microbe was fatal. He is antagonist and through him Wells shows the end
all anarchists meet.
Minnie, the wife
As the bacteriologist chases the anarchist, his wife Minnie. When Minnie, chases after him,
concerned with preserving his him dignity of traveling without formal clothes. Meanwhile the
bacteriologist is concerned with a far more important matter: to save London and possibly
England. There is a distinct contrast between the prospects of these two characters. This creates
a farcical kind of humour. The woman can almost be perceived as unintelligent as she does not
understand the danger of the virus, which both the male characters clearly recognize. She does
not grasp the fact that her husband is trying to save the entire city, so she could also be
discerned as being quite nave or vain.
Minnie adds to the satirical humour of the story and illuminates the character of the scientist. It
is her who makes the bacteriologist a laughing stock. She illustrates the eccentricities of the
bacteriologist who is acquiesces to her demands. She plays a minimal role and imposes her idea
of a civilised society on her husband.
2. Tone
The predominant emotion that the text is creating, suggesting.
Tensional tone
Ironic tone, sarcastic tone almost satirical sometimes
The irony is also emphasized through the comical elements in the story

Informal tone
- There is a great build-up of the danger of the virus throughout the story as well as a great
deal of emphasis on the trouble the anarchist went through to obtain the virus. In the end when

the reader finds that the anarchist did not have the cholera virus, it completely demeans the
extent to which the anarchist has gone through to destroy London.
- Emphasis on the obsession the Anarchist develops of the virus these mere atomies, might
multiply and devastate a city! Wonderful! and devouring the little tubes with his eyes
- The bacteriologist who misleads the readers and the anarchist into thinking that the
vial contains cholera emphasized by the metaphor Yes, here is the pestilence imprisoned
making a reference to the biblical four horsemen (Revelations)
Wells observes the three unities of time, place and action and maintains an element of suspense
till the little twist in the tale. He has used irony to accent the message of the story. A sense
of aversion is felt towards the disillusioned anarchist who is an enemy of the humanitarian
race, whilst one pities Minnie who is married to a crazy scientist. He evokes emotions like
surprise and panic and enthrals, captivates, and excites the readers.
The Stolen Bacillus' is a thrilling satire on the probable role scientists play in promoting bioterrorism and expresses his gloomy outlook on the future human race.
3. Setting

The story takes place in London, towards the end of the XIX century.
The deus ex machina of the bacteriologist's mistakes, while perhaps leaving
an unsatisfying ending, does prove anxiogenic.
In a time before public health was tied to national security, the story asked Victorian readers to
consider what kind of people are responsible for containing these newly discovered life forms.
Hopefully, no one can be as careless as the protagonist in this story.
More interesting, however, is the story's description of the foreigner, who is not Teutonic or
Latin, which suggests he is perhaps Eastern in origin. Furthermore, his description is indicative
of degeneracy--a prevalent anxiety at the fin de sicle: the foreigner is pale "pale" and possess a
"limp white hand."
The story conflates political, biological, and foreign threats to social order, suggests that British
technological developments are perhaps becoming as much a danger as they are aids to the
safety of the empire.
H.G Wells was a prominent English author and futurist. He was well ahead of his time. He is
known for his significant contribution to the literary genre of science fiction. Wells promoted
disarmament and peace throughout his life, depicting the dark side of human nature and warning
about the misuse of science and technology.
The story exposes the theme of bio-terrorism and anarchism. It conveys the effects and da ages
the abuse of science could have on the humans by starkly contrasting anarchism with
humanitarianism. He has taught that scientists should lend a helping hand to prevent such
nefarious use of research and should pursue it to advance of well being and comprehension of
the universe. It should be done with a sense of responsibility and recognition of the immense
power of knowledge.
4. Register, vocabulary, sentence structure and semantic fields.
Literary Techniques

Personification
Seeking his victims
The use of personification emphasizes; how deadly the bacillus is by comparing it to a
murderer.
Colloquial Language
Strike me giddy!
The use of speech creates a contrast to the tension created in the story
Repetition
Death, death, death!- Rule of three that emphasizes how deadly the virus is and what a
devastating the effect it would have on London.
Onomatopoeic words slam, swish, whipped etc.
There is a twist in the plot at the end of the story, the virus is not actually that of the cholera,
but turns his skin purple.
The writer greatly describes the danger of the virus through various literary techniques building
the tension.
- He would follow the water mains picking out and punishing a house here and a house
there The writer uses personification to describe how lethal the virus is and it also
foreshadows, a possible tragic ending.
- H.G Wells gives a vivid description of the effects of the bacteria, making the reader
anxious, anticipating the end the end of the story.