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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 Sugar tongs in Henry James
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| Author | Topic: Sugar tongs in Henry James |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-31-2008 01:43 AM
  
I was reading Henry James's 1878 novella The Europeans & came across this exchange: Gertrude turned round again. "She is not in love with him," she said; it seemed her duty to say that. "Then he is in love with her; or if he is not, he ought to be. She is such a perfect little woman of her kind. She reminds me of a pair of old-fashioned silver sugar-tongs; you know I am very fond of sugar. And she is very nice with Mr. Brand; I have noticed that; very gentle and gracious." IP: Logged |
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rian Posts: 169 |
posted 07-31-2008 06:46 AM
Haven't read the novel Polly, but I'm not sure being compared to a set of sugar tongs would be flattering. The words bent grasping manipulative come to mind.... IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 07-31-2008 10:15 AM
Ha! What an interesting interpretation. I think he meant she's sweetly innocent & old fashioned. IP: Logged |
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rian Posts: 169 |
posted 07-31-2008 10:24 AM
not to mention decorative and useful IP: Logged |
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agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 07-31-2008 11:14 AM
I imagine old fashioned tongs in 1878 would have conjured up the image of the scissor action tongs of the previous century which can look a bit more like a human figure than the later bow tongs. Would the finger rings be big, round eyes? Or a pile of hair? Coarser interpretations would be inappropriate for the author and period. IP: Logged |
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