One of the principal techniques used by Lawrence Durrell in creating the rich and varied Alexandria Quartet is echo structure. Echo structures of similar construction (ether directly stated or implied) suffuse the text with additional meanings and achieve thematic significance and completeness. The symbolism of death and a new birth, or rebirth is a dominant means of conveying this in the Quartet, and particularly in Clea, its fourth and final book. Echo structure is created by the writer’s establishing actions, images, archetypes, allusions and characters in an early portion of the Quartet and generally suspending that entity until changed or unchanged, it recurs ata climactic moment to make its final appearance, in every case transformed because of the pressure of thematic resolution or to conform with overriding themes. The meaning is service precisely from the changes that occur in the entity between the first and final appearance. Rebirth may be nothing more than a metamorphosis in outward appearance or a change of an entity which generally produces something better for the person involved. It may be as profound as the spiritualization of the human being or a release of long pent-up creative energy. The change itself contributes to the meaning of the rebirth structure. IN any work of art there is usually a dominant theme, but many variations of the theme work throughout whenever some minor or superficial change occurs; this profoundly changes human destiny. Precisely this device of the echo structure furnishes a means for Durrell to convey his major theme of rebirth.

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