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James: she should like to see him not

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Marius Hancu

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Nov 26, 2009, 4:56:21 AM11/26/09
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Hello:

"she should like to see him not"
is a light threat, isn't it?

---
[Sarah feels well treated in Paris by Chad, her brother]

The great nuance was in brief that of course her brother must treat
her handsomely—she should like to see him not; but that treating her
handsomely, none the less, wasn't all in all—treating her handsomely
buttered no parsnips; and that in fine there were moments when she
felt the fixed eyes of their admirable absent mother fairly screw into
the flat of her back.

Henry James, The Ambassadors, p. 280
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/432/432-h/432-h.htm
-----
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

Leslie Danks

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Nov 26, 2009, 5:27:57 AM11/26/09
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Marius Hancu wrote:

> Hello:
>
> "she should like to see him not"
> is a light threat, isn't it?

Yes, as in "God help him if he doesn't".



> ---
> [Sarah feels well treated in Paris by Chad, her brother]
>
> The great nuance was in brief that of course her brother must treat

> her handsomely?she should like to see him not; but that treating her
> handsomely, none the less, wasn't all in all?treating her handsomely


> buttered no parsnips; and that in fine there were moments when she
> felt the fixed eyes of their admirable absent mother fairly screw into
> the flat of her back.
>
> Henry James, The Ambassadors, p. 280
> http://www.gutenberg.org/files/432/432-h/432-h.htm
> -----
> --
> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

--
Les (BrE)

Marius Hancu

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Nov 26, 2009, 5:33:05 AM11/26/09
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On Nov 26, 5:27 am, Leslie Danks <leslie.da...@aon.at> wrote:

> > "she should like to see him not"
> > is a light threat, isn't it?
>
> Yes, as in "God help him if he doesn't".

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

CDB

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Nov 26, 2009, 6:17:25 AM11/26/09
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Marius Hancu wrote:
>
> "she should like to see him not"
> is a light threat, isn't it?
>
I would say it's a defiant dismissal of the possibility. Indirect
speech for what she's thinking: "I'd like to see him not treat me
handsomely!" The idiom is most often found with "try", in response to
a threat -- "Really? I'd like to see you try." I suppose, in a
sense, that it can be seen as a counter-threat.
>
The idea is either that she would enjoy punishing him for it (your
threat) or that such an outcome would be so unlikely as to be an
interesting sight.

Marius Hancu

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Nov 26, 2009, 9:15:27 AM11/26/09
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On Nov 26, 6:17 am, "CDB" <bellema...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

> > "she should like to see him not"
> > is a light threat, isn't it?
>
> I would say it's a defiant dismissal of the possibility. Indirect
> speech for what she's thinking: "I'd like to see him not treat me
> handsomely!" The idiom is most often found with "try", in response to
> a threat -- "Really? I'd like to see you try." I suppose, in a
> sense, that it can be seen as a counter-threat.
>
> The idea is either that she would enjoy punishing him for it (your
> threat) or that such an outcome would be so unlikely as to be an
> interesting sight.

OK.

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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