Comprehension Practice
“Elegant economy!” How naturally one fold back into the phraseology of Cranford! There economy was always “elegant”, and money-spending always “Vulgar and Ostentation;” a sort of sour grapes which made up very peaceful and satisfied. I shall never forget the dismay felt when certain Captain Brown came to live at Cranford, and openly spoke of his being poor __ not in a whisper to an intimate friend, the doors and windows being previously closed, but in the public street! in a loud military voice! alleging his poverty as a reason for not taking a particular house. The ladies of Cranford were already moving over the invasion of their territories by a man and a gentleman. He was a half-pay captain, and had obtained some situation on a neighboring railroad, which had been vehemently petitioned against by the little town; and if in addition to his masculine gender, and his connection with the obnoxious railroad, he was so brazen as to talk of his being poor __ why, then indeed, he must be sent to Coventry. Death was as true and as common as poverty; yet people never spoke about that loud on the streets. It was a word not to be mentioned to ears polite. We had tacitly agreed to ignore that any with whom we associated on terms of visiting equality could ever be prevented by poverty from doing anything they wished. If we walked to or from a party, it was because the weather was so fine, or the air so refreshing, not because sedan chairs were expensive. If we wore prints instead of summer silks, it was because we preferred a washing material; and so on, till we blinded ourselves to the vulgar fact that we were, all of us, people of very moderate means.
Questions & Answers
1. Give in thirty of your own words what we learn from this passage of Captain Brown.
Captain Brown was a half-pay officer working on the disliked railroad. He shocked the ladies of Cranford by openly discussing his poverty, breaking their social custom of never mentioning financial hardship or modest means.
2. Why did the ladies of Cranford dislike the Captain.
The ladies disliked Captain Brown because he was a man intruding on their refined, female-dominated society, worked for the detested railroad, and offended their delicate manners by publicly admitting his poverty.
3. What reasons were given by the ladies of Cranford for “not doing anything that they wished”?
When the ladies of Cranford walked instead of using sedan chairs, they claimed it was for the pleasant weather or refreshing air. When they wore simple cotton prints instead of silk, they said they preferred washable materials.
4. “Ears Polite”. How do you justify this construction?
The phrase “ears polite” refers to the refined, sensitive audience of Cranford society who avoided hearing or speaking of anything coarse, unpleasant, or socially improper, such as poverty or death, which they considered impolite topics.
5. What is the meaning and implication of the phrases? (1) Sour grapeism (2) The invasion of their territories (3) Sent to Coventry (4) Tacitly agreed (5) Elegant economy
(1) Sour grapeism: Pretending that things one cannot afford or attain—like luxury or wealth—are undesirable, to feel content with one’s limited means. (2) The invasion of their territories: The unwelcome intrusion of Captain Brown, a man, into the women’s socially exclusive and genteel community. (3) Sent to Coventry: To be socially isolated, ignored, or shunned by others as a form of disapproval. (4) Tacitly agreed: Silently or implicitly accepted by everyone without being openly discussed or stated. (5) Elegant economy: A refined and graceful way of describing frugality, suggesting that simplicity and thrift were matters of good taste rather than necessity.