FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98  
99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>   >|  
oodhouse and Mr. Knightley. Emma speaks first:-- "'Miss Fairfax is reserved.' "'I always told you she was--a little; but you will soon overcome all that part of her reserve which ought to be overcome, all that has its foundation in diffidence. What arises from discretion must be honoured.' "'You think her diffident. I do not see it.'" These passages not only serve to portray, more or less directly, the personality of Jane Fairfax, but serve also at the same time to portray indirectly the personalities of the people who are talking about her. Mrs. Elton, in particular, is very clearly exhibited. And this point leads us to an examination of one of the most effective means of indirect delineation. If the mere speech of a fictitious figure be reported with sufficient fidelity to truth, it is possible to convey through this expedient alone a very vivid sense of character. Consider the following bits of talk:-- "'You're not a gun-sharp? I am sorry. I could have surprised you. Apart from my gun, my tale don't amount to much of anything. I thank you, but I don't use any tobacco you'd be likely to carry ... Bull Durham? _Bull Durham!_ I take it all back--every last word. Bull Durham--here! If ever you strike Akron, Ohio, when this fool-war's over, remember you've Laughton O. Zigler in your vest pocket. Including the city of Akron. We've a little club there.... Hell! What's the sense of talking Akron with no pants?'" "'Did I talk? I despise exaggeration--'tain't American or scientific--but as true as I'm sitting here like a blue-ended baboon in a kloof, Teddy Roosevelt's Western tour was a maiden's sigh compared to my advertising work.'" "'But the general was the peach. I presume you're acquainted with the average run of British generals, but this was my first. I sat on his left hand, and he talked like--like the _Ladies' Home Journal_. J'ever read that paper? It's refined, Sir--and innocuous, and full of nickel-plated sentiments guaranteed to improve the mind. He was it. He began by a Lydia Pinkham heart-to-heart talk about my health, and hoped the boys had done me well, and that I was enjoying my stay in their midst.'" These passages are taken from Mr. Kipling's story called "The Captive." The action is laid during the South-African war. Is it necessary to add that the speaker is an American gun-inventor who has fought upon the Boer side and has been captured by the British? One point must be considered
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98  
99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Durham

 

portray

 

passages

 
overcome
 
British
 

Fairfax

 
American
 

talking

 

compared

 

presume


average
 

generals

 

acquainted

 

general

 

advertising

 
scientific
 

exaggeration

 

despise

 

Roosevelt

 
Western

maiden

 
sitting
 

baboon

 

improve

 

called

 

Captive

 

action

 
Kipling
 

enjoying

 

African


captured

 

considered

 

fought

 

speaker

 

inventor

 

refined

 

innocuous

 

Journal

 

talked

 

Ladies


nickel

 

health

 

Pinkham

 

sentiments

 

plated

 

guaranteed

 
Including
 

indirectly

 

personalities

 

people