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About Adolphus, Mont Blanc, and Angelina in a sentence

 
 
Reply Wed 30 Mar, 2011 02:22 am
"But as Lombard pointed out the various features of the scene to his companion, I fear that his chief motive was less an admiration of Nature that sought sympathy than a selfish delight in making her eyes flash, seeing the color come and go in her cheeks, and hearing her charming unstudied exclamations of pleasure,-a delight not unmingled with complacency in associating himself in her mind with emotions of delight and admiration. It is appalling, the extent to which spoony young people make the admiration of Nature in her grandest forms a mere sauce to their love-making. The roar of Niagara has been notoriously utilized as a cover to unlimited osculation, and Adolphus looks up at the sky-cleaving peak of Mont Blanc only to look down at Angelina's countenance with a more vivid appreciation of its superior attractions." - Edward Bellamy Deserted

Could anyone tell me the meaning of the last sentence in this paragraph. Why "looks up only to look down"? What is the "superior attractions"? Does this relate to any mythology?

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dadpad
 
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Reply Wed 30 Mar, 2011 02:39 am
justin justin justin. Its about time we had a little talk.
You see when two people love each other very very much..... well there are bird and and ....bees. do you see?
So bees like the birds a lot more than they like mountains. so they look up at the mountain then down at the birds and like looking at the bird a whole lot more than they like looking at the mountain cause the birds make them feel pretty damn fine.

Justin
I'm doing humour here for other english speakers. It will be too hard to explain.
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Setanta
 
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Reply Wed 30 Mar, 2011 02:49 am
@Justin Xu,
The roar of Niagara has been notoriously utilized as a cover to unlimited osculation, and Adolphus looks up at the sky-cleaving peak of Mont Blanc only to look down at Angelina's countenance with a more vivid appreciation of its superior attractions.

OK, here we go . . .

The falls of the Niagara River, commonly called the Niagara Falls make a very loud noise, a roar. The author is saying that that loud noise, that roar, is notoriously (everybody knows about it) used as a cover, a distraction to other people, while two people kiss. Bellamy lived in the 19th century, when people did not commonly kiss one another in public. The word osculation means kissing, so he can't even bring himself to say kissing, which is typical of that age. He's complaining about "spooning," which is a 19th century term for people engaged in kissing, carressing, fondling one another, and he disapproves. He is also complaining that they use "Nature" as an excuse or a distraction. The word Nature (with the "n" capitalized) in 19th century literature refers to an obsession people in western civilization had with the natural settings of the world, often described as sublime, and a cause for any amount of foolish and essentially meaningless writing--poetry, songs, travel books, endlessly boring personal narratives.

Then he gets down to the meat of the action--or at least as much as we can expect from him. Mont Blanc is a famous peak in the Alps, and with the obsession people in the 19th century had about "Nature," it was a popular destination. You're supposed to go there and stare at the mountain, and be deeply, emotionally moved by the experience. Adolphus looks at the mountaing, the looks at Angelina, and decides he'd much rather look at Angelina.

Good thinking, Adolphus.


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dadpad
 
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Reply Wed 30 Mar, 2011 02:55 am
@Justin Xu,
Ok seriouse reply now.

spoony young people = young lovers
unlimited osculation, = passionate kissing

Imagine you have a girlfriend or a special partner.
If you go to a park or lie beside a river in the woods. Would you spend your time looking UP at the mountains and tress and other natural features or would you rather look DOWN at her and kiss?

Tell me what you think is the superior attraction for the young man? The mountain or the girl.

This does not relate to mythology in any way shape or form
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