It's a Family Affair - We'll Settle It Ourselves

Style and Technique

The comedy «It's a Family Affair - We'll Settle It Ourselves» by Alexander Ostrovsky is written in the genre of domestic drama with elements of satire. The style of the work is characterized by realism and precision in depicting the life of the merchant class. Ostrovsky uses lively colloquial language, rich with proverbs, sayings, and idioms, which gives the characters' speech color and authenticity. Literary devices include irony, sarcasm, and hyperbole, which the author uses to expose societal vices such as greed, hypocrisy, and immorality. The structure of the play is traditional for drama: it consists of four acts, each divided into scenes. The conflict develops gradually, reaching a climax in the third act and resolving in the fourth. Ostrovsky skillfully constructs dialogues that not only reveal the characters' personalities but also advance the plot.