Charlotte Temple
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As I have read Susanna Rowsonл© Charlotte Temple through an e-text version instead of a physical copy (having only obtained my copy through the college bookstore pre-order system well after having read the e-text), I will not indicate page numbers. I will instead indicate which paragraph of which chapter the quotations come from.
Quote the First: лo„ut Charlotte had made too great an impression on his mind to be easily eradicated: having therefore spent three whole days in thinking on her and in endeavouring to form some plan for seeing her, he determined to set off for Chichester, and trust to chance either to favour or frustrate his designs?(1.8).
My Understanding of Quote the First: The quoted passageл© true meaning is subtle (i.e.; I am about to apply a certain level of English major-trained interpretation [i.e.? I am going to stretch the truth in such a way as to be passably understood as a legitimate interpretation (at least the English major would hope such to be the case with the reader)] in deciphering a deeper, overarching meaning from the words contained therein), but it connects with a theme evident throughout the rest of the story: The Pitfalls of Scheming. (A suitable echo effect would be good there.) Rowson is in this passage setting up the general mood of the relationships of the characters in the story. Generally speaking, the relationships of all the main characters are either illicit or scandalous in the eyes of society and require a certain amount of discretion (they are лoÑ–mprudent? or they are made with selfish intentions in the minds of one of the characters involved (such as the Mademoiselle shacking up with the guy on that boat). By Montraville having to think of a scheme to get into better contact with Charlotte, the atmosphere of the story is set for the reader. We are to expect more such planning and scheming in the relationships of the other characters in the rest of the story.
Quote the Second: лo R. Temple was the youngest son of a nobleman whose fortune was by no means adequate to the antiquity, grandeur, and I may add, pride of the family. He saw his elder brother made completely wretched by marrying a disagreeable woman, whose fortune helped to prop the sinking dignity of the house; and he beheld his sisters legally prostituted to old, decrepid men, whose titles gave them consequence in the eyes of the world, and whose affluence rendered them splendidly miserable. л©– will not sacrifice internal happiness for outward shew,?said he: л©– will seek Content; and, if I find her in a cottage, will embrace her with as much cordiality as I should if seated on a throneл® (2.1).
My Ponderous Mastication and Eventual Digestion of Quote the Second: I am not entirely sure if this quote is particularly 뱆ey?to the whole story for me, but it certainly does pose an interesting question for me (waitлÑ*‹ already said лoјor me? I better say лoј? mich?instead), especially in light of the previous quote (i.e.; Quote the First; the first quote; the quote appearing before this quote, Quote the Second). While it seems Rowson is developing the idea that imprudence in oneл© relationships is disastrousлÑ*«ay, catastrophicлÑ*«ay? capable of causing women to swoon from deliriumлÑ*±he also seems to be saying that marriages based on prudence, especially as it comes to the stability of finances and familial titles, lead to unhappiness just as easily. For Charlotte Templeл© parents, they were able to find contentment despite being imprudent in the eyes of society, yet unhappiness eventually befell them through the actions of their daughter and Montraville, as if they had to face punishment for such imprudence. The karmic boomerang of genteel prudence!
Quote the Third: 뱫George chose the profession of a soldier. I had neither friends or money to procure him a commission, and had wished him to embrace a nautical life: but this was repugnant to his wishes, and I ceased to urge him on the subjectл® (3.2).
My Overarching Substantiating Gravimetric/Volumetric Analysis of Quote the Third: This particular quote by itself is not what I find key throughout the rest of the story. Nay, sire, лЄ‹is how the issue of choice seems to impact everything. Whenever somebody chooses something in the story, we know as the reader that we are on