Le 17 sept. 04, =E0 17:58, Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx a =E9crit : <snip> > > Note the subtlety: > > > There's lots of stuff that is obscure in Shakespeare > =20 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Balderdash to Ritchie's argument that an emblem book > depicting Patienzia is _too_ obscure to > be Shakespeare's source. > > ---- > > Gist: > > What is obscure to Ritchie may not be obscure to Shakespeare? And that > Ritchie is being overhasty in claiming something would be 'obscure' or=20= > 'too > obscure' for something to be a source in Shakespeare? M.C. The latter, rather. I take Ritchie's argument to have been: a) If Shakespeare had used an image than alluded to an emblem = book,=20 then b) such obscurity would not have been understood by the hoi = polloi who=20 attended the Globe. But c) Shakespeare did not wish to fail be understood, Therefore ---------------------------------------------------- d) Shakespeare did not intend such an allusion. I'm simply arguing that if A) it is *always* true that Shakespeare avoided obscure = allusions, =20 then ----------------------------------------------------------- B) There would be no obscure allusions in Shakespeare. But C) There *are* obscure allusions in Shakespeare ("rather a lot,=20= actually", as Eric Idle replied to John Cleese when asked how much rat=20= there was in the strawberry tart). Therefore, ------------------------------------------------------- ~ B. And therefore, by modus tollens, ------------------------ ~A. But if ~A, then Shakespeare did not always avoid obscure=20 allusions. Therefore, there are occasions when Shakespeare did use=20 obscure allusions. And the case of sitting on a rock, clearly a=20 reference to the emblematic tradition, is one of them. Anyhow, that's how I think it goes. Best, Mike > Michael Chase (goya@xxxxxxxxxxx) CNRS UPR 76 7, rue Guy Moquet Villejuif 94801 France ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html