Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Camille Laurens Book Analysis

In the book The Little Dancer Aged 14, written by Camille Laurens the author reasons that art briefly represents emotion by only showing exterior features through the helpful use of ethos and pathos. First, the author effectively introduces the rhetorical appeal of pathos to emotionally draw in the readers by adding in the presence of life in art. Throughout the book, the readers are informed of all the ups and downs the dancer is faced in order to survive and the sculpture Degas forms from the time frame of 1878-1881. During the process, the 14-year-old dancer poses for Degas as one of her 3 jobs. Although each visible detail of herself is presented in the handcrafted sculpture, there is still something missing, her identity. Laurens states on page 63, “Too large to be a toy, too small for a girl of fourteen, the Little Dancer hovered between the work of art and the everyday object, the statue and the mannequin, the doll, the miniature, the figurine” (Laurens 63). This demonstrates the fact that what you see in art, doesn’t show every aspect of the figure. This is significant because the readers develop a conclusion before truly understanding the authentic reasoning behind the masterpiece. Laurens novel quotes on page 100, “She was neglected by her mother as a child and is remembering the young Norma Jean Baker, an anonymous girl, who married at 16 knowing nothing of the world” (Laurens 100). This implies how someone has an internal character along with physical features. This is significant because although the girl had a life and personality, she was still neglected, so this resulted in the girl being anonymous. Therefore, the emotional connection draws in the reader to relate to the ongoing issue, the neglect of sentiment in art.

Now, Laurens effectively introduces the rhetorical appeal of ethos to collect the trust of the readers by using credible sources for information. In the book The Little Dancer Aged 14, the author creates a basis of trustworthy origins. This aspect reveals the problems that recur in the dancer's everyday life, like the intense poverty and dissatisfaction with the presence of internal connection through art. According to Laurens on page 81, “I feel the need, now more than ever, to translate my impressions of form into sculpture,” wrote the art critic Francois Thiebault-Sissom (Laurens 81). Following the words of Francois Thiebault- Sissom, the quote proves the under interpretation the artist has on their models. This is significant because art should represent both characteristics and emotion. In the words of Marilyn Monroe on page 103, “Alone!!! I am alone. I am always alone no matter what. We should be afraid of nothing but fear. What do I believe in/ what is the truth/ I believe in myself/ even my most delicate// intangible feelings” (Laurens 103). This claims that the readers are informed of how art shows a very slight amount of sentiment by the words told of a model. This is significant because during the sights of the quotes the readers mature a clear understanding of how little emotion is illustrated in most forms of art. Therefore, reliable peers construct a trustworthy base of faith in order to accept the information being told. In the end, the readers are informed why art gauges very little amounts of character through the use of pathos and ethos because they dramatize the effects of emotion and trust portrayed in the audience.