Waugh: I heard her unmoved

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Marius Hancu - 02 Jan 2010 12:26 GMT

Hello:

"I heard her unmoved"
isn't the reference of "unmoved" a bit ambiguous, to him or to his
wife?

Also, any alternatives to:
"I felt my bowels shrivel at ... ?"

-----
[Ryder's wife has been pompously lauding his paintings, and cheating
on him on the side]

'He's England to me.'

I heard her say that; it was the short of thing she had the habit of
saying. Throughout our married life, again and again, I had felt my
bowels shrivel within me at the things she said. But that day, in this
gallery, I heard her unmoved, and suddenly realized that she was
powerless to hurt me any more; I was a free man; she had given me my
manumission in that brief, sly lapse of hers; my cuckold horns made me
lord of the forest.

Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited, p. 819
----
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Django Cat - 02 Jan 2010 12:35 GMT

> Hello:
>
> "I heard her unmoved"
> isn't the reference of "unmoved" a bit ambiguous, to him or to his
> wife?

No, it's pretty clear from context that it's Ryder who's unmoved - not
emotionally affected - by what his wife is saying.

DC
--

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Cheryl - 02 Jan 2010 16:57 GMT

> Hello:
>
> "I heard her unmoved"
> isn't the reference of "unmoved" a bit ambiguous, to him or to his
> wife?

No, I don't think so. It's clearly 'I' (Ryder) who is not moved
emotionally by what his wife said.

> Also, any alternatives to:
> "I felt my bowels shrivel at ... ?"

That's a vivid image. The only similar one that comes to mind right away
is 'I felt my stomach turn', which doesn't have quite the same element
of twisting or cringing or embarassment. "I cringed at the things she
said' might work, but is less vivid than the original.

> -----
> [Ryder's wife has been pompously lauding his paintings, and cheating
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

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Cheryl

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John O'Flaherty - 02 Jan 2010 17:07 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>Also, any alternatives to:
>"I felt my bowels shrivel at ... ?"

...I felt my heart sink at ...

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John

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John Holmes - 03 Jan 2010 00:28 GMT

>> Hello:
>>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> ...I felt my heart sink at ...

Not quite, I think. A sinking heart is about sadness and disappointment.
'Bowels shrivel' is more towards cringing and repugnance.

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Regards
John
for mail: my initials plus a u e
at tpg dot com dot au

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John O'Flaherty - 03 Jan 2010 18:54 GMT

>>> Hello:
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>Not quite, I think. A sinking heart is about sadness and disappointment.
>'Bowels shrivel' is more towards cringing and repugnance.

But this is about her losing "the power to hurt me any more", which
argues more for dismay than repugnance.

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John

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010

Waugh: I heard her unmoved