"Indeed Fear is never more uneasy, than when it doth not certainly know its Object: for on such Occasions the Mind is ever employed in raising a thousand Bugbears and Fantoms, much more dreadful than any Realities, and like Children, when they tell Tales of Hobgoblins, seems industrious in terrifying itself."

— Fielding, Henry (1707-1754)


Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for A. Millar
Date
1752
Metaphor
"Indeed Fear is never more uneasy, than when it doth not certainly know its Object: for on such Occasions the Mind is ever employed in raising a thousand Bugbears and Fantoms, much more dreadful than any Realities, and like Children, when they tell Tales of Hobgoblins, seems industrious in terrifying itself."
Metaphor in Context
Thus ended this odd Adventure, not entirely to the Satisfaction of Booth: for, besides his Curiosity, which when thoroughly roused is a very troublesome Passion, he had as is, I believe, usual with all Persons in his Circumstances, several Doubts and Apprehensions of he knew not what. Indeed Fear is never more uneasy, than when it doth not certainly know its Object: for on such Occasions the Mind is ever employed in raising a thousand Bugbears and Fantoms, much more dreadful than any Realities, and like Children, when they tell Tales of Hobgoblins, seems industrious in terrifying itself.
(II.vi.4)
Categories
Provenance
HDIS (Prose)
Citation
13 entries in ESTC (1752, 1762, 1771, 1775, 1777, 1780, 1790, 1793).

See Amelia. By Henry Fielding, 4 vols. (London: A. Millar, 1752). <Link to ECCO>

Reading Henry Fielding, Amelia, ed. David Blewett (London: Penguin Books, 1987).
Date of Entry
06/05/2004

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.