The Golden Bowl - Henry James [302]
3. (p. ref) Julius II and Leo X. These sixteenth-century papal patrons did in fact treat Michael Angelo very shabbily. Julius in particular, although admittedly allowing the painter a free hand with his decoration of the Sistine Chapel, persistently ignored his requests for payment.
4. (p. ref) the faith. i.e. the Roman Catholic faith.
Chapter 3
1. (p. ref) multiplied lettering. i.e. Roman numerals.
2. (p. ref) chinoiseries. Chinese ornaments and furniture. Here, however, it refers to the odd visitors that the Ververs have ‘collected’.
3. (p. ref) Palazzo Nero. A play on the literal meaning (black palace) and the associations of the name of the Roman Emperor Nero.
4. (p. ref) Vesuvius. The eruption of this volcano in A.D. 79 buried the ancient Roman towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae under cinders and mud.
Chapter 4
1. (p. ref) Vatican . . . Capitoline. Notable museums in Rome.
Chapter 5
1. (p. ref) Borgias. This Italian Renaissance family had a reputation for poisoning their enemies – and each other.
2. (p. ref) par exemple. For instance.
3. (p. ref) petites entrées. Informal visits. The expression originated in the court etiquette of the absolutist French monarch Louis XIV.
Chapter 6
1. (p. ref) befrogged. A frog is a military coat-fastening which, in addition to a covered button and a loop, involves elaborate ribbon or braid decoration on the garment itself.
2. (p. ref) Croatian, Dalmatian, Carpathian. Exotic bands were much in favour at the time; even so, such a collection seems unlikely in a single hotel – but James probably couldn’t resist the alliteration and rhyme.
3. (p. ref) meuble. Piece of furniture.
4. (p. ref) Damascene. Inlaid with gold or silver designs.
Chapter 7
1. (p. ref) porte-cochère. Main entrance.
2. (p. ref) breakfast. As we were told at the beginning of the chapter that this was a ‘noontide meal’, we take it that Adam Verver is using the word with the connotations of déjeuner, which means luncheon as well as breakfast.
3. (p. ref) feather boa. A type of stole.
4. (p. ref) ‘Cette fois-ci pour madame!’ ‘This time it’s for madame.’
5. (p. ref) Déjeunons. Let’s eat.
BOOK THIRD
Chapter 1
1. (p. ref) cabotinage. Showing off, play-acting.
2. (p. ref) en très haut lieu. In the highest quarters.
Chapter 2
1. (p. ref) retentissement. Repercussion.
2. (p. ref) ignis fatuus. Will-o’-the-wisp, which leads unwary travellers astray.
Chapter 3
1. (p. ref) brougham. Closed carriage for four or five passengers.
2. (p. ref) point de repère. Reference point.
Chapter 4
1. (p. ref) ‘A la guerre comme à la guerre.’ Charlotte finds the message ambiguous, and no wonder. Literally, it means that in wartime one must act as in wartime; it may also have the less menacing meaning of ‘We must just take things as we find them.’ It also carries a hint of ‘All’s fair in love and war.’
2. (p. ref) Bowdlerised. Thomas Bowdler was an early nineteenth-century expurgator of Shakespeare. Presumably the hat was plain and unerotic.
3. (p. ref) ‘growler’. A slang word for a four-wheeled cab.
Chapter 5
1. (p. ref) da nonno To his grandfather’s house.
2. (p. ref) maîtresse de maison. Mistress of a household.
Chapter 6
1. (p. ref) bousculade. Rush, crush.
2. (p. ref) Arcadian. The Greek region of Arcady is idealized by the poets as one of simple rustic contentment.
3. (p. ref) Cornelia. A famous matron of ancient Rome.
4. (p. ref) il n’y avait pas à dire. Needless to say.
Chapter 7
1. (p. ref) bottigliera. A collection of bottles. It was the custom at house-parties to bring in the drinks tray at bedtime so that guests might help themselves to a nightcap.
2. (p. ref) galantuomini. Gentlemen.
3. (p. ref) the Fall. That of Adam and Eve. (See the reference to Eden in the Introduction.)
Chapter 8
1. (p. ref) cari sposi. Dear spouses.
2. (p. ref) bons amis. Good friends.
3. (p. ref) Cosa volete? What can one do?
4. (p. ref) Speriamo. Let’s hope.
Chapter 9
1. (p. ref) engrenage. Machinery.
2. (p. ref) les situations nettes.