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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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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • 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 Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Mike Powell on Tue Aug 9 23:36:26 2022
    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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  • 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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  • 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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