[Vocabulary] so far as a voice could do so

[jacob123]

Does "so far as a voice could do so" mean "to the extent that we could hear the voice"?

One sitter was approached by her father, recently dead, who began by the hard, dry cough which had appeared in his last illness. He discussed the question of some legacy in a perfectly rational manner. A friend of the author's, a rather irritable Anglo- Indian, manifested, so far as a voice could do so, reproducing exactly the fashion of speech, giving the name, and alluding to facts of his lifetime. Another...


"The History of Spiritualism," by Arthur Conan Doyle

 

[jutfrank]

It means 'to the extent that the voice of a dead person can manifest'.

 

[jacob123]

It means 'to the extent that the voice of a dead person can manifest'.

Thanks. I am a little confused. does "to the extent" refer to the volume of the sound/voice of the alleged spirit?

 

[jutfrank]

I've just had a look at the source material and I can see that you've missed some crucial context. Could you repost the whole paragraph, please? Then we'll help you with the meaning.

 

[jacob123]

I've just had a look at the source material and I can see that you've missed some crucial context. Could you repost the whole paragraph, please? Then we'll help you with the meaning.

On the occasion of a visit to the author's house in the country she sat with the author, his wife, and his secretary, in a well-lighted room. A hymn was sung, and before the first verse was ended a fifth voice of excellent quality joined in and continued to the end. All three observers were ready to depose that Mrs. Wriedt herself was singing all the time. At the evening sitting a succession of friends came through with every possible, sign of their identity. One sitter was approached by her father, recently dead, who began by the hard, dry cough which had appeared in his last illness. He discussed the question of some legacy in a perfectly rational manner. A friend of the author's, a rather irritable Anglo- Indian, manifested, so far as a voice could do so, reproducing exactly the fashion of speech, giving the name, and alluding to facts of his lifetime. Another sitter had a visit from one who claimed to be his grand-aunt.

 

[jutfrank]

Okay, sorry, my mistake—I meant to ask you to post the part of the context that explains what the phenomenon of 'Direct Voice' is. It is only with reference to this that the meaning of the phrase in question makes full sense.

 

[Tarheel]

I wouldn't read too much into it if I were you. (What do you expect a voice to do other than speech?)

Doyle wrote some highly readable mystery novels. Have you tried any of them?

 

[jacob123]

Okay, sorry, my mistake—I meant to ask you to post the part of the context that explains what the phenomenon of 'Direct Voice' is. It is only with reference to this that the meaning of the phrase in question makes full sense.

it refers to the voice of the dead when it is heard during a seance. like in the horror movies. the speeches. murmurings...

 

[jacob123]

I wouldn't read too much into it if I were you. (What do you expect a voice to do other than speech?)

Doyle wrote some highly readable mystery novels. Have you tried any of them?

Thanks. but can you clarify for me that does the voice manifested itself or does it manifested fashion of speech..?

"A friend of the author's, a rather irritable Anglo- Indian, manifested, so far as a voice could do so, reproducing exactly the fashion of speech, giving the name, and alluding to facts of his lifetime."

 

[jutfrank]

Are you sure you've understood what Direct Voice is? That's what this whole passage of the book is about.

The idea is that the voice of the deceased manifests directly from the spirit world. So he means 'to the extent that this can happen'.

Maybe you could go back a few paragraphs and read the relevant section again. It's not very easy to understand.

 

[Tarheel]

Thanks. but can you clarify for me that does the voice manifested itself or does it manifested fashion of speech..?

"A friend of the author's, a rather irritable Anglo- Indian, manifested, so far as a voice could do so, reproducing exactly the fashion of speech, giving the name, and alluding to facts of his lifetime."

It is rather odd phrasing to me. Apparently, he heard the voice of a dead person. That person stated his name and then mentioned a few things he might have been known for in life. As for the voice, it sounded genuine--just like it would have sounded in life.