What would a structuralist's point of view be with regards to "The Blank Page" by Isak Dinesen?

Background on Structuralism

To understand this story through a structuralist lens, it is important to delve into structuralism as a concept. The roots of this school can be found in the study of language and its unique cultural elements. In this sense, structuralist stories are about more than the characters and literal events that occur in them. Rather, they exist in a larger cultural context and express ideas through language itself. The structuralist point of view is that nearly all human experience is expressed through language, which takes on certain patterns or common underlying elements.

Structuralism in "The Blank Page"

A structuralist point of view is extremely helpful when dissecting the meaning of this rather unconventional story. Unlike most of Dinesen's work, "The Blank Page" lacks a traditional plot. Instead, the author chooses to tell a story that must be read between the lines, inferred in spaces where there are no words. This method of storytelling is highly compatible with a structuralist's point of view, since the story uses language to express complex ideas without addressing them directly.

"The Blank Page" truly begins when a young couple meets an elderly storyteller. This storyteller's craft has been passed down through her family for generations. She weaves an interesting tale about a Portuguese tradition in which the nation's princesses would give their bridal sheets to be displayed as proof of their virginity. A square from the sheet was then cut out and sent to the Sisters of Saint Carmel at the Convento Velho, where it would be framed and decorated for public display.

Structuralism further comes into play with the subtlety of themes and ideas expressed throughout the story. Although it is not directly stated, it is heavily implied that the blood on the squares was used as the proof of the princesses' virginity. There is a single sheet in the gallery that is solid white, and it serves as the unlikely focal point for the story and for the gallery itself. Just as "The Blank Page" communicates its most important themes in the blank space on a page, the gallery's most poignant offering is also a blank sheet. Throughout the story, whoever looks at the framed white sheet is left to draw his or her own spiritual revelations.

Structuralism prioritizes the structure of a story over its function, and this can be seen throughout "The Blank Page." If this story had been told through a traditional structure, the author's message would not have been as powerful. Strangely, it is through abstraction that the story gains its structure and provides an analysis of such issues as historical ideas of purity, morality, and virtue, as well as the restrictions these concepts can impose upon the individual.