. . . disturbs him, as has passing the new school . . .

[shootingstar]

In William's mind Aberfan knows only the night-time; with the roof of Pantglas school forever crumbled, poking at weird angles out of the landslide like a broken umbrella. Aberfan's streets are forever dark and tacky underfoot.
To arrive in broad daylight, with green trees vivid against a blue sky, disturbs him, as has passing the new school on the edge of the village, with children all over the playground.

(From A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe, Part V, Aberfan, scene 64)

I don't understand the meaning and the grammatical pattern of the underlined words. What does "as has" refer to? I think it refers to "To arrive in broad daylight . . . disturbs him". Do you take "passing" to be the gerund or the present participle? What does "as has" mean there?

 

[Piscean]

To arrive in broad daylight, with green trees vivid against a blue sky, disturbs him, as has passing the new school on the edge of the village, with children all over the playground.

To arrive in broad daylight, with green trees vivid against a blue sky, disturbs him (in the same way) as passing the new school on the edge of the village, with children all over the playground has disturbed him.

 

[shootingstar]

Is "passing" the gerund or the present participle in the original clause? I assume it to be the gerund, right?

 

[jutfrank]

Is "passing" the gerund or the present participle in the original clause? I assume it to be the gerund, right?

What to you is the difference?

 

[shootingstar]

OK - when you are asking the difference I think there isn't any.