"She was indeed persuaded, that she felt no other uneasiness than what arose from the agitation with which she perceived that Seymour's mind was struggling; but perhaps there was something of self-deception in this young lady's reflections; as to a passenger, in a boat that glides rapidly down a stream, the current only appears to move, and the boat seems perfectly still, while in reality the waves bear it impetuously along."

— Williams, Helen Maria (1759-1827)


Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for T. Cadell
Date
1790
Metaphor
"She was indeed persuaded, that she felt no other uneasiness than what arose from the agitation with which she perceived that Seymour's mind was struggling; but perhaps there was something of self-deception in this young lady's reflections; as to a passenger, in a boat that glides rapidly down a stream, the current only appears to move, and the boat seems perfectly still, while in reality the waves bear it impetuously along."
Metaphor in Context
Julia longed to take a walk; but she confined herself to the corner of the cardtable, because she dreaded meeting Seymour. When he returned, she retired for a short time to her own apartment, and gave way to that sorrow which the perplexity of her situation wrung from her heart. She was indeed persuaded, that she felt no other uneasiness than what arose from the agitation with which she perceived that Seymour's mind was struggling; but perhaps there was something of self-deception in this young lady's reflections; as to a passenger, in a boat that glides rapidly down a stream, the current only appears to move, and the boat seems perfectly still, while in reality the waves bear it impetuously along.
(I.xi, p. 128)
Provenance
Searching in ECCO-TCP
Citation
2 entries in ESTC (1790).

Julia, a Novel; Interspersed with Some Poetical Pieces. By Helen Maria Williams. In Two Volumes. (London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1790). <Vol. I, Link to ECCO-TCP><Vol. II, Link to ECCO-TCP>
Date of Entry
08/16/2013

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