Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from Stories from Everybody's Magazine, by Various
Having acquired knowledge, the true student seeks to demonstrate.
Dorothea had promptly and intentionally fallen in love with the
son of her next-door neighbor. Amiel--fresh from his first year
in college-- was a tall, broad-shouldered youth, with kindly
brown eyes and a flash of white teeth when he smiled. In contrast
to the small boys and the sober-going fathers of families in
which the summer colony abounded, he shone, as Dorothea's
favorite novelists would have expressed it, "like a Greek god."
It was this unsuspecting person whom Dorothea had, at first
sight, elected to be the Hero of her Dreams. She trailed him,
moreover, with a persistency that would have done credit to a
detective. Did he go to the post-office, he was sure to meet
Dorothea returning (Lady Ursula, strolling through her estate,
comes upon her lover unawares). Dorothea, emulating her heroine's
example by vaulting a fence and cutting across lots, could be
found also strolling (if slightly breathless) as he approached.
She timed her day, as far as possible, with his. Would he swim,
play tennis, or go crabbing--there was Dorothea. Would he repose
in the summerhouse hammock and listen to entire pages declaimed
from Tennyson and Longfellow, the while being violently
swung--his slave was ready. She read no story in which she was
not the heroine and Amiel the hero. At the same time, she was
perfectly and painfully conscious in the back of her brain that
Amiel regarded her only as a sun-browned, crop-headed tomboy, who
had an extraordinary facility for remembering all the poetry she
had ever read, and who amused and interested him as his own small
sister might. Outwardly she kept strictly to this role--a purely
natural one--while inwardly she soared dizzily from fantasy to
fantasy, even while her physical body was plunging in the waves
or leaping on the tennis court.
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Stories from Everybody’s Magazine
This passage, likely from an early 20th-century short story (possibly by an author like Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or a lesser-known contributor to Everybody’s Magazine), depicts a young woman, Dorothea, in the throes of unrequited romantic idealism. The excerpt satirizes adolescent infatuation, the gap between fantasy and reality, and the performative nature of young love, particularly through the lens of a bookish, imaginative girl who models her behavior on romantic literature.
Below is a breakdown of the text’s themes, literary devices, character dynamics, and significance, with a focus on close reading.
1. Context & Source
Everybody’s Magazine (1905–1931) was a popular American monthly featuring fiction, essays, and serialized novels. The tone of this excerpt suggests a lightly satirical, coming-of-age story, possibly influenced by:
- Late 19th/early 20th-century sentimental romance (e.g., Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice)
- The "New Woman" trope—educated, independent young women navigating social expectations
- Realism’s critique of romantic idealism (similar to Wharton’s The Age of Innocence or Fitzgerald’s early stories)
The setting—a summer colony—evokes a transient, leisurely world where young people experiment with identities, making it a fitting backdrop for Dorothea’s theatrical pursuit of love.
2. Themes
A. The Illusion vs. Reality of Love
Dorothea’s infatuation is entirely constructed from literary tropes. She:
- "Elects" Amiel as her "Hero of her Dreams" (emphasizing choice over organic attraction).
- Mimics scenes from novels (e.g., Lady Ursula’s "chance" encounters with her lover).
- Reads herself into every story, recasting Amiel as the hero—yet knows he sees her as a child.
The dissonance between her inner fantasy and outward behavior highlights how love, for Dorothea, is a performance—one she stages for an audience of one (herself).
B. The Power (and Pitfalls) of Female Imagination
Dorothea’s literary obsession shapes her reality:
- She physically exhausts herself (vaulting fences, timing her day to his) to replicate fictional romance.
- Her memory for poetry (Tennyson, Longfellow) becomes a tool of seduction, yet Amiel treats it as a cute quirk, not a sign of depth.
- The hammock scene—where she declaims poetry while swinging him violently—is darkly comic, blending romantic gesture with childish energy.
This reflects the early 20th-century tension between female intellectualism and societal expectations. Dorothea’s knowledge is both her power and her undoing—it fuels her fantasies but fails to bridge the gap between her mind and Amiel’s perception of her.
C. Gender and Power Dynamics
- Amiel’s Passivity: He is the "unsuspecting" object of Dorothea’s schemes, yet holds all the power—his indifference defines her reality.
- Dorothea’s Dual Role: Outwardly, she plays the "sun-browned tomboy" (a non-threatening, sisterly figure); inwardly, she casts herself as the tragic heroine.
- The "Slave" Metaphor: She calls herself his "slave", revealing how romantic idealism can become self-erasure—she subjugates her identity to his imagined narrative.
The excerpt critiques how young women are socialized to chase love as a performance, even when it’s unreciprocated.
3. Literary Devices
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Irony (Dramatic & Situational) | Dorothea’s grand romantic gestures (poetry, staged encounters) vs. Amiel’s brotherly amusement. | Highlights the absurdity of her one-sided passion. |
| Allusion | References to "Greek god" (classical beauty), Lady Ursula (likely a Gothic romance heroine). | Shows Dorothea’s literary conditioning—she sees life through fictional lenses. |
| Free Indirect Discourse | "She read no story in which she was not the heroine and Amiel the hero." | Blurs Dorothea’s thoughts with the narrator’s voice, immersing us in her delusional yet poignant perspective. |
| Juxtaposition | Fantasy (soaring "dizzily" in imagination) vs. Reality (body "plunging in waves"). | Emphasizes the split between her mind and physical existence. |
| Hyperbole | "Persistency that would have done credit to a detective." | Comic exaggeration of her obsessive pursuit. |
| Symbolism | Summer colony = transient, fleeting nature of youthful infatuation. Hammock swinging = instability of her emotions. | Reinforces the ephemeral, performative quality of her love. |
4. Character Analysis: Dorothea
- The Romantic Idealist: She weapons her knowledge (poetry, novels) to script a love story, but her intellect isolates her—Amiel doesn’t see her as an equal.
- The Tragicomedy of Adolescence: Her physical exertion (running, swimming, vaulting fences) contrasts with her emotional paralysis—she’s active in pursuit but passive in agency.
- Self-Awareness vs. Self-Deception: She knows Amiel sees her as a child, yet continues the charade, suggesting loneliness and a desire to control her narrative.
5. Significance & Modern Relevance
- Critique of Romanticization: The passage mocks the dangers of living through fiction, a theme still relevant in social media-era performative love (e.g., curating relationships for an audience).
- Female Agency & Desire: Dorothea’s active pursuit of Amiel is progressive for its time, yet her self-sabotage reflects internalized gender roles—she can’t imagine a love that isn’t one-sided and sacrificial.
- Coming-of-Age Satire: The excerpt laughs at the pain of young love, but with empathy—Dorothea’s vulnerability makes her relatable, not just ridiculous.
6. Key Takeaways from the Text Itself
- Love as a Literary Construct: Dorothea doesn’t just feel love—she scripts it, proving how culture shapes desire.
- The Loneliness of the Imaginative Mind: Her fantasies are vivid, but reality is silent—Amiel’s indifference is the true antagonist.
- The Body vs. the Mind: While her mind soars, her body is in motion (swimming, running), showing how physicality grounds her escapism.
- The Tragedy of Being Seen Wrong: The worst pain isn’t rejection, but being miscategorized—Amiel sees a "tomboy," not a potential romantic equal.
Final Thought: Why This Excerpt Resonates
This passage captures the universal humiliation of unrequited love, but with a sharp, literary twist. Dorothea isn’t just a lovestruck girl—she’s a student of romance, and her failure isn’t in loving, but in mistaking fiction for life. The excerpt’s humor and pathos make it a timeless commentary on the stories we tell ourselves—and the cost of believing them.
Would you like a comparison to a specific author’s style (e.g., Wharton’s social satire, Fitzgerald’s romantic disillusionment)? Or an exploration of how this theme appears in other works?