And when I walked into the far-seeming gallery where she’d been, where she’d gone, the gallery with The Anatomy Lesson—eyes closed tight, wishing hard—there were only the same stretchers and equipment and there, as I walked through, in the oddly screaming silence, the only two observers were the same two puzzled Dutchmen who had stared at my mother and me from the wall: what are you doing here?
I think that by ‘far-seeming gallery’ she intends what in Greek would be ‘πολὺ ἀποστησαμένη δίοδος’. Here, the Greek aorist medial participle ἀποστησαμένη indicates an action prior to the action of the main verb, which is logical and correct. In the English version, however, it is completely illogical: one cannot enter a gallery that seems to be far away; one can enter a gallery that has seemed to be far away, that which the Greek aorist participle expresses. Since, unlike Greek or Russian, English lacks this king of participles, confusion arises for the writers who think in the languages in which these participles exist.
Do you mean that Donna Tartt, born and raised in Mississippi, is thinking in a language that has aorist participles?
Hi Constantine,
I think “far-seeming” is being used to simply describe a quality or an impression of the gallery rather than to restrict it with a relative clause. The writer is attempting to create an epithet for the gallery. The gallery now “seems far away” to her son. The gallery really isn’t far way, it just seems that way to him. Perhaps “μακρὰν φαινόμενον ζωγραφεῖον” or “τηλεφανές ζωγραφεῖον”? ζωγραφεῖον is the closest I can get to “art gallery”.
It’s highly stylized writing, and not normal English usage in my part of the country anyway. I’ve never spent time in Mississippi though, and language patterns vary. Notice “oddly screaming silence” (nice!) a bit further down, and “lying-down people” (ugh!) a bit higher on the page. Most writers of standard English would not use these phrases, I think, and yes it is much closer to how Greek does it. Whether you like the effect or not is a matter of personal taste, I suppose.
EDIT: Since Aetos makes a suggestion, I’ll give mine: πόρρω φανὲν θεατρίδιον, trying to express the aorist meaning that Constantinus surmises.
I just realised there is a much better word than ζωγραφεῖον: πινακοθήκη -same as in Modern Greek. If Strabo can use it, so can I.
I believe Donna Tartt was a classics major at Bennington College. Her first novel, The Secret History, concerns students in a northeastern (U.S.) college, admirers of a charismatic professor of ancient Greek. (see wikipedia articles on Donna Tartt, and on The Secret History)