The Dressmaker

by Rosalie Ham

The Dressmaker: Style 1 key example

Style
Explanation and Analysis:

Rosalie Ham's style in The Dressmaker is shaped by her use of gothic elements and an underlying dark humor. The novel features a large amount of bold similes, many of which are aimed at making fun of the townspeople and their vulgarity, prejudice, and hypocrisy. Ham also fills the novel with vivid and visceral descriptions of the characters, the setting, and clothing. While she often focuses on visual aspects in these descriptions, her imagery also draws on other senses, offering the reader tactile, olfactory, and auditory details. At times, it seems as though the tactility of the Tilly's fashion interest and dressmaking activities seep into Ham's poetic descriptions of the landscape.