"It is true, I have experienced the most rapturous emotions--short-lived delight!--ethereal beam, which only serves to shew my present misery--yet lie still, my throbbing heart, or burst; and my brain--why dost thou whirl about at such a terrifying rate?why do thoughts so rapidly rush into my mind, and yet when they disappear leave such deep traces?"
— Wollstonecraft, Mary (1759-1797)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Johnson
Date
1788
Metaphor
"It is true, I have experienced the most rapturous emotions--short-lived delight!--ethereal beam, which only serves to shew my present misery--yet lie still, my throbbing heart, or burst; and my brain--why dost thou whirl about at such a terrifying rate?why do thoughts so rapidly rush into my mind, and yet when they disappear leave such deep traces?"
Metaphor in Context
"Surely life is a dream, a frightful one! and after those rude, disjointed images are fled, will light ever break in? Shall I ever feel joy? Do all suffer like me; or am I framed so as to be particularly susceptible of misery? It is true, I have experienced the most rapturous emotions--short-lived delight!--ethereal beam, which only serves to shew my present misery--yet lie still, my throbbing heart, or burst; and my brain--why dost thou whirl about at such a terrifying rate? why do thoughts so rapidly rush into my mind, and yet when they disappear leave such deep traces? I could almost wish for the madman's happiness, and in a strong imagination lose a sense of woe.
(pp. 140-1)
(pp. 140-1)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in HDIS
Citation
Only one entry in ESTC (1788).
See Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary, A Fiction (Printed for J. Johnson, 1788). <Link to ECCO>
See Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary, A Fiction (Printed for J. Johnson, 1788). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
03/23/2013
