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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Humunculation
An odd (nonce?) word, that appears to be unique to the novel The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse :
(QUOTE)
The Mother Superior knew something had to be done when she herself woke, her face bathed in sweat and tears, to the insinuating soft largo of the Prelude in E Minor (of Chopin). In those notes she remembered the death of her mother and sank into an endless afternoon of her loss. The Mother Superior then grew, in her heart, a weed of rage against the God who had taken a mother from a seven-year-old child whose world she was, entirely, without question?heart, arms, guidance, soul?until by evening she felt fury steaming from the hot marrow of her bones and stopped herself.
"Oh, God, forgive me," the Superior prayed. She considered *humunculation*, but then rushed down to the piano room instead, and with all of the strength in her wide old arms gathered and hid from Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach.
(CLOSE QUOTE)
John
(QUOTE)
The Mother Superior knew something had to be done when she herself woke, her face bathed in sweat and tears, to the insinuating soft largo of the Prelude in E Minor (of Chopin). In those notes she remembered the death of her mother and sank into an endless afternoon of her loss. The Mother Superior then grew, in her heart, a weed of rage against the God who had taken a mother from a seven-year-old child whose world she was, entirely, without question?heart, arms, guidance, soul?until by evening she felt fury steaming from the hot marrow of her bones and stopped herself.
"Oh, God, forgive me," the Superior prayed. She considered *humunculation*, but then rushed down to the piano room instead, and with all of the strength in her wide old arms gathered and hid from Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach.
(CLOSE QUOTE)
John
Top answer
) word, that appears to be unique to the novel The Last Report of the Miracles at ... strength in her wide old arms gathered and hid from Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach. (CLOSE QUOTE)[/nq] Sounds to me like the Mother Superior jumped the gun.
- ) word, that appears to be unique to the novel The Last Report of the Miracles at ...
- strength in her wide old arms gathered and hid from Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach.
- (CLOSE QUOTE)[/nq] Sounds to me like the Mother Superior jumped the gun.
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10 Answers
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[nq:1]An odd (nonce?) word, that appears to be unique to the novel The Last Report of the Miracles at ... strength in her wide old arms gathered and hid from Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach. (CLOSE QUOTE)[/nq]
Sounds to me like the Mother Superior jumped the gun.
Sounds to me like the Mother Superior jumped the gun.
00
[nq:1]An odd (nonce?) word, that appears to be unique to the novel The Last Report of the Miracles at ... strength in her wide old arms gathered and hid from Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach. (CLOSE QUOTE)[/nq]
Sadly I don't have access to the OED, which might be able to shed some light. However, this link possibly points the way to the truth:
Sadly I don't have access to the OED, which might be able to shed some light. However, this link possibly points the way to the truth:
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[nq:2]"Oh, ***, forgive me," the Superior prayed. She considered *humunculation*, ... Cecellia every piece of music but the Bach. (CLOSE QUOTE)[/nq]
[nq:1]Sadly I don't have access to the OED, which might be able to shed some light.[/nq]
Sadly not, Andrew. It appears nowhere in the OED, that I can find. Too bad: it's a fun 'word' to say. Rolls off the tongue, it does.
[nq:1]Sadly I don't have access to the OED, which might be able to shed some light.[/nq]
Sadly not, Andrew. It appears nowhere in the OED, that I can find. Too bad: it's a fun 'word' to say. Rolls off the tongue, it does.
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[nq:2]Sadly I don't have access to the OED, which might be able to shed some light.[/nq]
[nq:1]Sadly not, Andrew. It appears nowhere in the OED, that I can find. Too bad: it's a fun 'word' to say. Rolls off the tongue, it does.[/nq]
You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might be long, it might be "Latin", it might serve no useful purpose, but I think we should keep it. I was going to a
[nq:1]Sadly not, Andrew. It appears nowhere in the OED, that I can find. Too bad: it's a fun 'word' to say. Rolls off the tongue, it does.[/nq]
You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might be long, it might be "Latin", it might serve no useful purpose, but I think we should keep it. I was going to a
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(about "humunculation")
[nq:1]You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might be long, it might be "Latin", it might serve no ... I was going to add: "All it needs is a meaning", but I think I prefer it as an enigma.[/nq]
The most plausible conjecture I've found is at
http://pub
[nq:1]You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might be long, it might be "Latin", it might serve no ... I was going to add: "All it needs is a meaning", but I think I prefer it as an enigma.[/nq]
The most plausible conjecture I've found is at
http://pub
00
[nq:2]Sadly not, Andrew. It appears nowhere in the OED, that ... fun 'word' to say. Rolls off the tongue, it does.[/nq]
[nq:1]You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might be long, it might be "Latin", it might serve no ... I was going to add: "All it needs is a meaning", but I think I prefer it as an enigma.[/nq]
It's very close to 'homonculus'
John Dean
Oxford
[nq:1]You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might be long, it might be "Latin", it might serve no ... I was going to add: "All it needs is a meaning", but I think I prefer it as an enigma.[/nq]
It's very close to 'homonculus'
John Dean
Oxford
00
[nq:2]You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might ... meaning", but I think I prefer it as an enigma.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's very close to 'homonculus'[/nq]
Which is why I at first conceived an indelicate image: surely a bit of commitment-free homunculation never did a Mother Superior any lasting harm?
An ex-nun on R4 a while back described how she'd been made to lie face down on the floo
[nq:1]It's very close to 'homonculus'[/nq]
Which is why I at first conceived an indelicate image: surely a bit of commitment-free homunculation never did a Mother Superior any lasting harm?
An ex-nun on R4 a while back described how she'd been made to lie face down on the floo
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[nq:2]You're right, it is a rather fun word. It might ... meaning", but I think I prefer it as an enigma.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's very close to 'homonculus'[/nq]
Ahem. And even closer to "homunculus".
Andrew Gwilliam
To email me, replace "bottomless pit" with "silverhelm"
[nq:1]It's very close to 'homonculus'[/nq]
Ahem. And even closer to "homunculus".
Andrew Gwilliam
To email me, replace "bottomless pit" with "silverhelm"
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[nq:2]It's very close to 'homonculus'[/nq]
[nq:1]Ahem. And even closer to "homunculus".[/nq]
It certainly is.
John Dean
Oxford
[nq:1]Ahem. And even closer to "homunculus".[/nq]
It certainly is.
John Dean
Oxford
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I will just add that I doubt the word is a mistake. The opening chapter appeared in the New Yorker as a story, so the word passed under the eyes of at least two editors, both of whom surely must've tried to look it up, eventually, in the OED. Not finding it there, they must've asked the author what was up. The author evidently asked them to leave the word in as written.
It does have a nice sou
It does have a nice sou
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