lady_schrapnell (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lady_schrapnell) wrote2007-07-01 11:50 am
lady_schrapnell) wrote2007-07-01 11:50 am
Rebecca or Anne? Can you tell?
I've now convinced myself I could have told, if someone else set the challenge, but of course that might be self-delusion of the most blatant sort.
Both passages come after the girl in question has gone from the local school off to the larger one, to get a teacher's certificate (in fewer years than the norm). In both, there's a flirtatious girl's behaviour being contrasted - that's Ruby Gillis, in Anne's case. I've taken out any identifiers, obviously:
'X was in the normally unconscious state that belonged to her years; boys were good comrades, but no more; she liked reciting in the same class with them, everything seemed to move better; but from vulgar and precocious flirtations she was protected by her ideals.'
'There was no silly sentiment in Y's ideas ... Boys were to her, when she thought about them at all, merely possible good comrades. ... she had a vague consciousness
that masculine friendship might also be a good thing to round out one's conceptions of companionship and furnish broader standpoints of judgment and comparison.'
*************
Second pair of extracts come after the child has received a totally unexpected Christmas present (of a pretty and 'frivolous' sort): (I have to cut more here, as one scene would be instantly recognizable, even without names)
'... a parcel which she took like one in a dream...
"Well, well!" ... Now eat your breakfast, M, ... What's the matter, child?"
M's emotions seemed always to be stored, as it were, in adjoining compartments, and to be continually getting mixed. At this moment, though her joy was too deep for words, her bread-and-butter almost choked her, and at intervals a tear stole furtively down her cheek.'
Second extract:
'N took the -- and looked at it in reverent silence.
"Why - why - N, don't you like it?"
For N's eyes had suddenly filled with tears.
"Like it! ... Oh, it seems to me this must be a happy dream."
"Well, well, let us have breakfast.", [older character] interrupted.
" I don't see how I'm going to eat breakfast," said N rapturously. "Breakfast seems so commonplace at such an exciting moment."'
**************
Third pair is from the POV of one of the guardians, reflecting on the child's nature. (A changed and softened guardian, by now!)
'"You needn't get in such a fever over it. Do learn to take things calmly, child."
For C to take things calmly would have been to change her nature. All "spirit and fire and dew" as she was, the pleasures and pains of life came to her with trebled intensity. [Older char.] felt this and was vaguely troubled over it, realizing that the ups and downs of existence would probably bear hardly on this impulsive soul and not sufficiently understanding that the equally great capacity for delight might more than compensate. Therefore [older char] conceived it to be her duty to drill C into a tranquil uniformity of disposition as impossible and alien to her as to a dancing sunbeam in one of the brook shallows.'
Second one:
D's hair was loosened and falling over her forehead in ruffled waves; her eyes were brilliant, her cheeks crimson; there was a hint of everything in the girl's face - of sensitiveness and delicacy as well as of ardour; there was the sweetness of the mayflower and the strength of the young oak, but one could easily divine that she was one of
The souls by nature pitched too high,
By suffering plunged too low.
"That's just the way you look, for all the world as if you did have a lamp burning inside of you,' sighed [older character]. D! D! I wish you could take things easier, child; I am fearful for you sometimes."'
************
We won't mention the fact that neither of these books is going to serve for the essay in any way other than to contrast with An Old-Fashioned Girl. Not with each other. (In other words, dabbling in other 'girls' stories' of the time doesn't really count as purposeful work. But it sure is fun.)
Both passages come after the girl in question has gone from the local school off to the larger one, to get a teacher's certificate (in fewer years than the norm). In both, there's a flirtatious girl's behaviour being contrasted - that's Ruby Gillis, in Anne's case. I've taken out any identifiers, obviously:
'X was in the normally unconscious state that belonged to her years; boys were good comrades, but no more; she liked reciting in the same class with them, everything seemed to move better; but from vulgar and precocious flirtations she was protected by her ideals.'
'There was no silly sentiment in Y's ideas ... Boys were to her, when she thought about them at all, merely possible good comrades. ... she had a vague consciousness
that masculine friendship might also be a good thing to round out one's conceptions of companionship and furnish broader standpoints of judgment and comparison.'
*************
Second pair of extracts come after the child has received a totally unexpected Christmas present (of a pretty and 'frivolous' sort): (I have to cut more here, as one scene would be instantly recognizable, even without names)
'... a parcel which she took like one in a dream...
"Well, well!" ... Now eat your breakfast, M, ... What's the matter, child?"
M's emotions seemed always to be stored, as it were, in adjoining compartments, and to be continually getting mixed. At this moment, though her joy was too deep for words, her bread-and-butter almost choked her, and at intervals a tear stole furtively down her cheek.'
Second extract:
'N took the -- and looked at it in reverent silence.
"Why - why - N, don't you like it?"
For N's eyes had suddenly filled with tears.
"Like it! ... Oh, it seems to me this must be a happy dream."
"Well, well, let us have breakfast.", [older character] interrupted.
" I don't see how I'm going to eat breakfast," said N rapturously. "Breakfast seems so commonplace at such an exciting moment."'
**************
Third pair is from the POV of one of the guardians, reflecting on the child's nature. (A changed and softened guardian, by now!)
'"You needn't get in such a fever over it. Do learn to take things calmly, child."
For C to take things calmly would have been to change her nature. All "spirit and fire and dew" as she was, the pleasures and pains of life came to her with trebled intensity. [Older char.] felt this and was vaguely troubled over it, realizing that the ups and downs of existence would probably bear hardly on this impulsive soul and not sufficiently understanding that the equally great capacity for delight might more than compensate. Therefore [older char] conceived it to be her duty to drill C into a tranquil uniformity of disposition as impossible and alien to her as to a dancing sunbeam in one of the brook shallows.'
Second one:
D's hair was loosened and falling over her forehead in ruffled waves; her eyes were brilliant, her cheeks crimson; there was a hint of everything in the girl's face - of sensitiveness and delicacy as well as of ardour; there was the sweetness of the mayflower and the strength of the young oak, but one could easily divine that she was one of
The souls by nature pitched too high,
By suffering plunged too low.
"That's just the way you look, for all the world as if you did have a lamp burning inside of you,' sighed [older character]. D! D! I wish you could take things easier, child; I am fearful for you sometimes."'
************
We won't mention the fact that neither of these books is going to serve for the essay in any way other than to contrast with An Old-Fashioned Girl. Not with each other. (In other words, dabbling in other 'girls' stories' of the time doesn't really count as purposeful work. But it sure is fun.)
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My thoughts:
First pair: Anne second
Second pair: Anne second
Third pair: Anne first
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Much as I'm enjoying Rebecca this time (and in the past), it really seems that it would look a 'better' book if one hadn't dragged out the comparisons with Anne. (The essay R. writes for her nice teacher in which she uses 'one' every other word because she's been told it'll sound better is one of my favourite bits of the book, and just lovely!)
As I said above, I really think in this (though not all her books, by any means) Montgomery just gets her characters in a little more depth yet with a lighter touch, time and time again. She also plays with the theme of the romantic child heroine a little more, and with more humour, perhaps.
Is it more that you remembered the actual passages from Anne, or was it style that enabled you to get them?
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