Woulld have looked strange

Question

I liked the hush, the gloom, the quaintness of these retreats in the day; but I by no means coveted a night’s repose on one of those wide and heavy beds: shut in, some of them, with doors of oak; shaded, others, with wrought old English hangings crusted with thick work, portraying effigies of strange flowers, and stranger birds, and strangest human beings,— all which would have looked strange, indeed, by the pallid gleam of moonlight.

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Hi, Forum Gurus and Members!

The above is an excerpt from Jane Eyre. The underined "would have looked"... Can't it be of the meaning that (A) as the writer is reflecting past events, looking at the past in the present time, the "would have looked strange" means that later on when she settled there, after a while, they did actually look strange to her?

(B) Or does this mean that they didn't actually look strange, but the writer was thinking that it would look strange if they were under the moonlight?

(C) Or we don't know for sure unless more information is provided?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

The character was thinking that it would look more ('indeed') strange in the moonlight.

Pructus · Answer

Thanks so much, Mister Micawber!!

And I have a question why "would have looked" was used here, not "would look".

I can only assume that if "wold look" was used, the sentence would be of the meaning that they actually did look strange.

Is there any other reason "would have looked" was used?

English perfect tense is so difficult to get a grasp on it.

Mister Micawber · Answer

'Would have looked' is past tense ('would look' is present).  The whole passage is in past tense.

Pructus · Answer

I see, I see.....

Thanks a lot.....

Woulld have looked strange

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