"The subject of his waking thoughts still haunted his imagination, and the stranger, whose voice he had this night recognized as that of the prophet of Paluzzi, appeared before him."

— Radcliffe [née Ward], Ann (1764-1823)


Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Cadell and Davies
Date
1797
Metaphor
"The subject of his waking thoughts still haunted his imagination, and the stranger, whose voice he had this night recognized as that of the prophet of Paluzzi, appeared before him."
Metaphor in Context
Satisfied with this conclusion, he again laid his head on his pillow of straw, and soon sunk into a slumber. The subject of his waking thoughts still haunted his imagination, and the stranger, whose voice he had this night recognized as that of the prophet of Paluzzi, appeared before him. Vivaldi, on perceiving the figure of this unknown, felt, perhaps, nearly the same degrees of awe, curiosity, and impatience, that he would have suffered, had he beheld the substance of this shadow. The monk, whose face was still shrouded, he thought advanced, till, having come within a few paces of Vivaldi, he paused, and, lifting the awful cowl that had hitherto concealed him, disclosed - not the countenance of Schedoni, but one which Vivaldi did not recollect ever having seen before! It was not less interesting to curiosity than striking to the feelings. Vivaldi at the first glance shrunk back; - something of that strange and indescribable air, which we attach to the idea of a supernatural being, prevailed over the features; and the intense and fiery eyes resembled those of an evil spirit rather than of a human character. He drew a poniard from beneath a fold of his garment, and, as he displayed it, pointed with a stern frown to the spots which discoloured the blade; Vivaldi perceived they were of blood! He turned away his eyes in horror, and, when he again looked round in his dream, the figure was gone.
(III.v, pp. 367-8)
Provenance
Reading
Citation
At least 7 entries in the ESTC (1797)

Radcliffe, Ann. The Italian, ed. Robert Miles (New York: Penguin, 2000). <Google Books: vol. I, vol. II, vol. III>
Date of Entry
06/04/2013

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