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  • the crash

    From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to All on Tue Jul 19 18:31:44 2022
    Hi, All!

    From the story about dr Jekyll & Hyde:

    ....I was in the mere stupidity of wonder, before terror woke up in my breast as sudden and startling as the crash of cymbals, and bounding from my bed, I rushed to the mirror.

    Why "the crash" not "a crash"?

    Bye, All!
    Alexander Koryagin

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  • From mark lewis@1:3634/12 to Alexander Koryagin on Wed Jul 20 11:50:54 2022
    Re: the crash
    By: Alexander Koryagin to All on Tue Jul 19 2022 18:31:44


    Why "the crash" not "a crash"?

    i suspect because they are speaking of the sound of the cymbals crashing together instead of a sound of cymbals...


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  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Thu Jul 21 23:52:14 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    From the story about dr Jekyll & Hyde:

    ....I was in the mere stupidity of wonder, before
    terror woke up in my breast as sudden and startling
    as the crash of cymbals, and bounding from my bed,
    I rushed to the mirror.

    Why "the crash" not "a crash"?


    Dallas & I agree that we don't feel strongly about it either way, but IMHO a cymbal crash is quite distinctive... as is e.g. "the skirl of bagpipes", or "the sound of a great Amen" in THE LOST CHORD.

    Another point Dallas brought up is that the author had already used a number of words beginning with /a/ in close proximity there. He was writing at a time when the vast majority of his audience would hear it read aloud.... :-)




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  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Alexander Koryagin on Sun Aug 7 03:00:38 2022
    Alexander Koryagin:

    From the story about dr Jekyll & Hyde:

    ...I was in the mere stupidity of wonder, before terror
    woke up in my breast as sudden and startling as the
    crash of cymbals, and bounding from my bed, I rushed to
    the mirror.

    Why "the crash" not "a crash"?

    Stevenson compares Jekyll's (I think) shock to that produced
    by a sudden, sharp, and loud sound. And cymbals, struck
    together with great force, make exactly such kind of sound.
    He is referring not to *a* specific instance of crashing-
    together of *a* specific pair of cymbals (there was none!),
    but to a general quality of that action as a rerefence.

    P.S.: I don't know why people read J&H as their first (and
    often last) work by Stevenson, who is a great master
    of the short story.

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to ANTON SHEPELEV on Sun Aug 7 10:11:00 2022
    P.S.: I don't know why people read J&H as their first (and
    often last) work by Stevenson, who is a great master
    of the short story.

    I am not sure about other parts of the world but, in the US, some were
    probably forced to read it as their first in school.

    Mike


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  • From alexander koryagin@2:5075/128.130 to Anton Shepelev on Sun Aug 7 17:44:58 2022
    Hi, Anton Shepelev!
    I read your message from 07.08.2022 03:00

    AK>> From the story about dr Jekyll & Hyde:
    AK>>
    AK>> ...I was in the mere stupidity of wonder, before terror
    AK>> woke up in my breast as sudden and startling as the
    AK>> crash of cymbals, and bounding from my bed, I rushed to
    AK>> the mirror.
    AK>>
    AK>> Why "the crash" not "a crash"?
    AS> Stevenson compares Jekyll's (I think) shock to that produced
    AS> by a sudden, sharp, and loud sound. And cymbals, struck
    AS> together with great force, make exactly such kind of sound.
    AS> He is referring not to*a* specific instance of crashing-
    AS> together of*a* specific pair of cymbals (there was none!),
    AS> but to a general quality of that action as a rerefence.

    I see your point.

    --reference.

    AS> P.S.: I don't know why people read J&H as their first (and
    AS> often last) work by Stevenson, who is a great master
    AS> of the short story.

    Who are the people you are talking about? ;-)

    There is a teaching school which practices such a method. They think it
    is the most effective way to learn words, and they publish books like these:

    https://i.ibb.co/0y1FZNh/Kaplan-books.jpg

    Bye, Anton!
    Alexander Koryagin
    fido.english_tutor,local.cc.ak 2022
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  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Wed Aug 10 19:53:48 2022
    Ardith Hinton:

    Alexander & Anton are grownups who have chosen to read
    such material. They might feel differently about it if
    they were in junior high... [chuckle].

    Oh, yes -- literature classes are a great method of
    instilling a dislike for specific books. I hope it is the
    reason they started teaching Solzhenitsyn in Russian school.

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to ARDITH HINTON on Wed Aug 10 15:46:00 2022
    Alexander & Anton are grownups who have chosen to read such material.
    hey might feel differently about it if they were in junior high... [chuckle].

    Most certainly so! <GRIN>

    Mike


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