Lucy's performance
Posted by Bonny on February 26, 1998 at 04:37:27:
In response to Lucy, by Cecil, written by Constanza (once again) on February 23, 1998 at 14:51:31
Great thoughts on this Constanza, and well put. "Lucy, by Cecil" is quite apt.
] When Lucy and Cecil met in Rome, soon he detected in her a wonderful reticence. She was like a woman of Leonardo Da Vinci's, whom we love not so much for herself as for the things that she will not tell us. The things are assuredly not of this life.
] So Cecil has come to love Lucy for her "shadows" and "secrets", i.e. none other than her potentiality for passion, which has been kindled in Florence and has been barely checked by Charlotte (as described by Mr. Beebe's wings/kit metaphor).
Soon after they meet up in Rome, Cecil detects Shadows and Secrets and Subtlety in Lucy "kindled in Florence", and touched off by George (and Mr Emerson, in a different way ). But at first, she seems "a typical tourist - shrill, crude and gaunt with travel". This is also due to George, her defence mechanism as we've seen is to launch herself into a "conventional role", sometimes into small talk or incessant chatter, like at the Santa Croce church"A delightful morning! Santa Croce is a wonderful church."(theres a better quote, but I can't find it). So in Rome, after her Scare/Disgrace with George she must come meaning to adhere to every convention in the book, acting the part of the Typical Tourist and Conventional Victorian Girl. This is not very important, your post just made me think of it.
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