as if it were settled the expedition were bound to take place

Question

Dear Tutors,

What does “as if it were settled the expedition were bound to take place” mean? And why the subjunctive is used?

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf ‘Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow,’ said Mrs Ramsay. ‘But you’ll have to be up with the lark,’ she added.

To her son these words conveyed an extraordinary joy, as if it were settled the expedition were bound to take place, and the wonder to which he had looked forward, for years and years it seemed, was, after a night’s darkness and a day’s sail, within touch.

Thank you very much,

SFB

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

"as if it were settled the expedition were bound to take place"

settled: decided, fixed, determined to be a closed matter. There would be no reversal of the decision.

expedition: journey, adventure, outing

bound to: had to, was definite. Again, the idea that there would be no change of plans.

take place: occur, happen.

The boy understood his mother's words as meaning that it had been decided quite definitely that the adventure of sailing to the lighthouse would certainly happen and that there would not be any change of plans about it.

CJ

(At least, from what I remember from my reading of it years ago, the expedition referred to sailing to the lighthouse. This has got to be one of the finest novels written in the English language, by the way. I hope you enjoy it.)
Oh. And the subjunctive is there to indicate that no such promise was actually made. It was simply understood that way by the boy -- understood as if the outing were definitely going to take place. There is therefore room for the possibility that the child will be disappointed later.

Davkett · Answer

Clauses that begin with as if normally take the subjunctive form in the verb.

The meaning is that her son felt joy in her words, even though, apparently (I haven't read the referent text), there was as yet no decision, or fact, as to whether, or when, the expedition would actually take place.

(Sorry, CJ, we were writing at the same time.)

CalifJim · Answer

davkett, Apologies not necessary!  I think the learners enjoy  seeing several different ways of approaching the same situation.   CJ

Davkett · Answer

As long as I'm not totally off-base, CJ.

SpoonfedBaby · Answer

Hello everybody,

Thank you very much CalifJIm and Davkett. I got it now. [Y]

CalifJim (At least, from what I remember from my reading of it years ago, the expedition referred to sailing to the lighthouse. This has got to be one of the finest novels written in the English language, by the way. I hope you enjoy it.)

The quote I put was the first lines of the novel. Because it is a so loved novel, I'll try to continue reading it although I need to read many times the same lines.

SFB

as if it were settled the expedition were bound to take place

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions