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Wholegrain Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Is the author using historical present?
With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
I thought about it, but it's too unusual since the historical present is often used to narrate an event and is rarely followed with the conventional use of the present tense within the same sentence. i mean it's a small clause, the author is not narrating, giving an account of an event, he merely mentions it.
FULL EXTRACT MELVILLE -- MOBY DICK
Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and
bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos
get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent
me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's
hats off-then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. ?is is my
substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself
upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If
they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very
nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
I thought about it, but it's too unusual since the historical present is often used to narrate an event and is rarely followed with the conventional use of the present tense within the same sentence. i mean it's a small clause, the author is not narrating, giving an account of an event, he merely mentions it.
FULL EXTRACT MELVILLE -- MOBY DICK
Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and
bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos
get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent
me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's
hats off-then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. ?is is my
substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself
upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If
they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very
nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
Top answer
Hi, With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. I thought about it, but it's too unusual since the historical present is often used to narrate an event and is rarely followed with the conventional use of the present tense within the same sentence. It seems to me that Melville does this for reasons of style.
- Hi, With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
- I thought about it, but it's too unusual since the historical present is often used to narrate an event and is rarely followed with the conventional use of the present tense within the same sentence.
- It seems to me that Melville does this for reasons of style.
- It gets the reader's attention and makes the sentence interesting.
- Such things help a great writer to be regarded as a great writer.
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3 Answers
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Hi,
With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
I thought about it, but it's too unusual since the historical present is often used to narrate an event and is rarely followed with the conventional use of the present tense within the same sentence.
With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
I thought about it, but it's too unusual since the historical present is often used to narrate an event and is rarely followed with the conventional use of the present tense within the same sentence.
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Is the author using historical present?
Yes.
Yes.
wholegrainthe author is not narrating, giving an account of an event, he merely mentions it.Why should that make a difference? The author is setting up a parallel structure, so it seems only logical that both parts would be in the same tense. Cato throws -- I take.
wholegrain
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