Thursday, June 12, 2008
Looking with Child-like Wonder: Fanny Kemble
Fanny was the first woman to ride on a steam engine train. Her account of this first trip is honest and contains child-like simplicity. The visual descriptions are only the beginning, her emotions are the truly captivating part. She writes this in the form of a letter. Fanny is child-like in her analysis of the train. She has never encountered a train before; thus, she compares it to the closest thing she does know: a horse. Somehow, she expects this "little fire-horse"'s qualities to be similar to her previous form of transportation, such as the need for hydration and calling her wheels "feet". Later, she expresses the desire to pat the head of the "snorting little animal". The mental picture I form of someone trying to pat a train is pretty amusing. Kemble expressed with glee: "I felt as if no fairy tale was ever half so wonderful as what I saw" (491). Can you imagine what Kemble would think about some of our modern day inventions? I think all of us can relate to Kemble to a certain extent. Personally, I love new experiences and get really excited about them in the same idealistic way as Fanny. The day I got a George Foreman Grill I thought it was quite possibly one of the coolest things I had encountered in the realm of the kitchen. I think it's important to stay in touch with our child-like sense of wonder.
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2 comments:
I like your positive outlook on Fanny Kemble's first train ride. While so many were suffering during the times of the Industrial Revolution, it is important to consider the positive effects the Revolution had on our lives.
I agree that Kemble seems quite child-like in her analysis of the train. She couldn't help but try and compare it to something she could relate to, though it really wasn't much like a horse at all. I also enjoyed the way she expressed her excitement in relation to this new invention. For you it was the George Foreman Grill, for me it was a hand-heated ice cream scooper. I know that seems silly, but I love ice cream and always hated scooping it until this nifty little tool appeared on the market. While our George Foreman and ice cream scooper aren't quite as inventive as the trail, the emotion that we experienced was probably very much the same.
Meredith,
Great engagement with this text. I enjoyed the way you connected Fanny Kemble's encounter with technology--the steam locomotive--and your own--the George Foreman grill. You ought to write up your own account in emulation of her writings!
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