| Framley Parsonage Chapters 40 to 42 |
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Chapter 40 |
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Cup
and the lips Mrs. Grantly has just begun to feel the triumph that her daughter's match with Lord Dumbello will not be stopped--this contrasts with her worries in London that the "cup might...be dashed from her lips before it was tasted." The image of the cup being dashed from the lips comes from the Latin proverb (recorded by Erasmus): "Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra" which translates "Many things fall between the cup and the last lips." For the mythological origin of the proverb, see commentary on Barchester Towers Chapter 24. [JC] |
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Epic poet Trollope compares Griselda's approach to designing her wedding dress with an epic poet's approach to producing a great piece of literature. Of all the brides-to-be in this novel, Griselda Grantly is the one for whom this is a most fitting comparison. She has always been praised for her stunning beauty, so it is not surprising that the process of choosing a wedding gown is of utmost importance to her. [JC] |
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Invocation of a
muse ". . .as the poet, to whom I have already alluded, first invokes his muse, then brings his smaller events gradually out upon his stage, so did Miss Grantly with sacred fervour ask her mother's aid. . ." In this comparison, Griselda is still the poet, but now her mother is her helpful muse. [JC] |
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Face like
Acheron ". . .Mrs. Proudie's face was still as dark as Acheron when her enemy withdrew. . ." Trollope describes Mrs. Proudie in this way just after Mrs. Proudie and Mrs. Grantly have had a "battle" of words, in which Mrs. Grantly was the victor. Acheron is the River of Woe in Hades. [JC] |
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Chapter 41 |
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Chapter 42 |
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Deus ex machina This is a Latin phrase, translated from a Greek phrase, theos apo mekhanēs, which means "god from the machine." It refers to a person in ancient Greek and Roman theater which would suddenly appear at a crucial moment in order to save someone from a detrimental situation. Often, this would be a person who would be playing the part of a god and who would descend from above by means of a machine which would lower him onto the stage so that he could help the unfortunate person. http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/D0175100.html [MD] |
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