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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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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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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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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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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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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Hi, Mike! Recently you wrote in a message to ANTON SHEPELEV:

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.

In this part of the world a lot of people's first experience was with either KIDNAPPED or TREASURE ISLAND, and it's not difficult to tell which they were required to read at school because they invariably prefer the other.

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




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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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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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