Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

I read it the same way, that one of the effects of the drug was to make the
half hour seem to disappear, move quickly, or otherwise hold the user in an
oblivious daze for the duration.  Still, I don't see how "swallowing" works
with "had raised".

If so, I think a "the" may be required in there:

--------
Swallowing THE half an hour before closing time, that second dose of
soma had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual
universe and their minds.
--------

However, I agree that in general Huxley has impeccable style.

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

Marius Hancu wrote:
   --------
   ["Soma" is the perfect drug used in the novel]

   Swallowing half an hour before closing time,
   that second dose of soma had raised a quite
   impenetrable wall between the actual universe
   and their minds. Bottled, they crossed the street;
   bottled, they took the lift up to Henry's room
   on the twenty-eighth floor. And yet, bottled as
   she was, and in spite of that second gramme of soma,
   Lenina did not forget to take all the contraceptive
   precautions prescribed by the regulations. Years of
   intensive hypnopædia and, from twelve to seventeen,
   Malthusian drill three times a week had made
   the taking of these precautions almost as automatic
   and inevitable as blinking.

   Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, p. 79
   --------

   It all depends on who or what is doing the swallowing.
   Myself, I think what was meant was that the second dose
   of soma swallowed the half an hour.  If so,
   the original is written perfectly.

An attempted parallel follows:

 Taking a full hour, the third act had heightened their fear
 of rain and strangers.  They huddled in the alcove,
 postponing the dash for the car.

--                       ---------------------------------------------
Richard Maurer              To reply, remove half
Sunnyvale, California       of a homonym of a synonym for also.
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