[General] The Vampire Lestat

[pastel]

Hi, I'm currently working on this book "The Vampire Lestat" written by Anne Rice. I would like to post all the questions under this thread, for your convenience.

1. I talk like a cross between a flatboatman and detective Sam Spade.
Does "talk to a cross" mean that the way he talks is inconsistent, sometimes like a flatboatman sometimes a detective?


2. I began to understand the caliber of the changes that the world had undergone.
What does "the caliber of the changes" mean?

I'm looking forward to your answers.

Thank you,
Pastel

 

[pastel]

Gillnetter,
Thank you for the elaborate example. Here's another question that has just come up in my head, which is that, is it appropriate to describe someone a cross if his/her parents are from different countries, let's say one is from Costa Rica and the other is from Korea. Their child is a cross. Eh?

Thanks,
Pastel

 

[pastel]

1. I was swimming in realizations.
The vampire was swimming in realizations. I can grasp the meaning just fine. I picture this vampire in a pleasant mood and he's content with the world where he can start to realize his dreams. Am I on the right track?


2. I thought I was going out of my head.
Does it mean that he was going insane?

3. Famine they intended to wipe out in this century.
I wouldn't consider this sentence very grammatical. To my knowledge, objects are rarely positioned at the front. Is it literary language?


Thanks,
Pastel

 

[pastel]

As for sexuality, it was no longer a matter of superstition and fear. The last religious overtones were being stripped from it. That was why the people went around half naked.

My comprehension is:
Because time has changed, people wear clothes in a way less conservative.


Thank you :-D
Pastel

 

[pastel]

Thanks again, Gillnetter.

 

[pastel]

1. In the amber electric twilight of a vast hotel room I watched on the screen before me the stunningly crafted film of war called Apocalypse now.

Here in this sentence, can I replace "before me" with "in front of me"? I think it works alright but I think there's nuance.

2. When I raised my voice with the little band called Satan's Night Out, I'd bring them all into light soon enough.
Does "raised my voice with the band" mean that I would join them and sing with them?

3. In this shiny world of innocence and plenty, of kindness and gaiety and full stomaches, the common cutthroat thieves of the past and their dangerous watrefront hangouts were almost gone.
My comprehension of the first part of this sentence is this: In this shiny world of innocence and other things like kindness and gaiety and satisfaction of food. How do you like it?



Thanks,
Pastel

 

[pastel]

3. In this shiny world of innocence and plenty, of kindness and gaiety and full [STRIKE]stomaches[/STRIKE] stomachs, the common cutthroat thieves of the past and their dangerous [STRIKE]watrefront[/STRIKE] waterfronts hangouts were almost gone.
My comprehension of the first part of this sentence is this: In this shiny world of innocence and other things like kindness and gaiety and satisfaction of food. How do you like it?
(it seems to mean that. The part about the shiny world is interesting. I suppose that shiny is opposed to a darker world)

Gillnetter, do you mean to refer to the darker world that belongs to those vampires? And about your modification of "waterfront", I'd think it an adjective, waterfront hangouts. What do you think?

 

[pastel]

Hi Gillnetter,

Thank you for the rely. You have been of so much help. Regarding the darker world, don't look at it later. Never look at it because it's dark. Enjoy your day.:lol:

 

[pastel]

1. I alone put the fear of God into the servants or tenants by the time I was 18.
What does the underlined part mean?

2. My mouth is mobile and can be very mean at times.
When "mobile" describes "mouth", does it mean to say that I am able to speak freely?

3. She was here now, out of the confines of her library, and she was attentive to me.
What does the underlined part mean?

Thank you,
Pastel

 

[bhaisahab]

["I have not forgotten the lock of Raven hair you asked for"-----Matilda Betham was fair: she had "blue penetrating eyes and a mobile mouth"]

From correspondance between Lady Charlotte Bedingfield and a secret admirer in 1794.

 

[pastel]

Thank you and merci beaucoup!

If a lady has a mobile mouth, I wouldn't expect too much beauty in her. I guess that "a mobile mouth" is a bit uncomplimentary but it has to depend on the context. :-D Pastel