Use Of Circus Setting In Erin Morgenstern's Novel 'The Night'

Introduction

The connotations of circuses are often nothing but positive. With childlike memories of awe and wonder, of magic and mystery and an experience outside of day-to-day life so closely attached to them. As a result, it is unsurprising that a love of the circus is almost universal. However, the use of a circus setting can bring about a very different impression, allowing writers to ‘upset established codes’ (Basch, n.d.) within literature and society, creating a space to tell a story outside of the restrictions of rationality and normality. This freedom results in circus stories often being ‘disruptive’ in their storylines and having ‘flamboyant’ and ‘dramatic’ characters (Basch, n.d.), that act to ‘challenge…how the everyday world is perceived and organised’ (Reynolds, 2021).

Erin Morgenstern’s novel ‘The Night Circus’ falls under the genre of magical

Throughout his speech, Morgenstern makes use of short sentences in order to convey the excitement and exhilaration that the prospect of the circus leads Chandresh to feel, giving the impression that he is rushing to express himself fully, which clearly demonstrates his passion and personal investment in the project. This brevity in expression contrasts with the complicated ideas which make up Chandresh’s visions of the circus, almost suggesting that no matter the level of detail given, language would never be able to fully capture the essence of the circus. Morgenstern also places focus on what the circus is not and will not have, repeating the word ‘no’10 many times. This maintains the mystery around the circus, and again emphasises the fact that it will defy expectation and be incomparable: ‘like no circus anyone has ever