Abandoning Anne Bronte
I was reading Anne Bronte’s Agnes Grey for the first time when I came across this sentence on page 38.
I returned, however, with unabated vigour to my work – a more arduous task than anyone can imagine, who has not felt something like the misery of being charged with the care and direction of a set of mischievous turbulent rebels, whom his utmost exertions cannot bind to their duty; while at the same time, he is responsible for their conduct to a higher power, who exacts from him what cannot be achieved without the aid of the superior’s more potent authority: which, either from indolence, or the fear of becoming unpopular with the said rebellious gang, the latter refuses to give.
I read the passage again, and then again, before putting the book to one side and beginning to look for another.
Previous post: Interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Next post: Pantheism
I love writing sentences like that. Very few get passed by my wife, however, with one exception, a story in a single sentence of 1000+ words – I forget exactly how many. That was fun to write. I find that I think in very long sentences indeed. They work fine in my head but they’re always murder to punctuate when I try transcribing them.
I can’t deal with that kind of writing, Jim. I didn’t hurl the book at the wall, although I have done that on occasion. It seems like willful obfuscation. Kindness allows me to relegate it to a different age and allow a degree of redemption, but even that doesn’t stop the blood boiling inside.
though it may sound tingling at first, but eventually you’ll get used to the angle of the line and verbiage. Cheers always.