This post made me immediately think about Charlotte Brontë's use of 'countenance' in "Jane Eyre", and the idea that the countenance is something "legible" that can be "read". Just a few of the many examples:
1. Where Rochester is interviewing Jane about her background:
"Arithmetic, you see, is useful; without its aid, I should hardly have been able to guess your age. It is a point difficult to fix where the features and countenance are so much at variance as in your case."
2. The much beloved scene in the garden, where Rochester proposes, and Jane questions his sincerity:
“Mr. Rochester, let me look at your face: turn to the moonlight.” “Why?” “Because I want to read your countenance—turn!” “There! you will find it scarcely more legible than a crumpled, scratched page. Read on: only make haste, for I suffer.”
Ha! I try not to like Mr Rochester bc I think you should not lock up your mentally ill wife in an attic, but damn these are such romantic and beautiful scenes, and I love both characters.
I have discussed the history of views on emotional expression in a chapter of my book on Portraits, going on up to Ekman today. I’d like to send you a copy. Maybe I can find your home address or you can DM me on Facebook? As you could expect these issues will interact a lot with historical views on portraiture as well.
I too thought "countenance" was a synonym for "face." Etymonline says it "evolved" to mean that, but personally I enjoy the original sense and love that you shared your discovery.
I believe that our magnetic response (whether attraction or repulsion) is actually metaphysical rather than merely physical, so a word with a broader and deeper meaning seems more accurate. It is an interesting point, then, that English has abandoned such a word. Was the meaning lost because our awareness of the metaphysical has become increasingly subconscious? (In other words, I think we don't exactly "evaluate" countenance, because I think "evaluation" is via the conscious, logical mind and countenance is considered only by the subconscious, spiritually-oriented mind.) Is there a replacement term — vibe? energy? Or just a knowing in the heart? An irrepressible smile? An inexplicable pull?
Thank you Helen for the delightful food for thought.
This post made me immediately think about Charlotte Brontë's use of 'countenance' in "Jane Eyre", and the idea that the countenance is something "legible" that can be "read". Just a few of the many examples:
1. Where Rochester is interviewing Jane about her background:
"Arithmetic, you see, is useful; without its aid, I should hardly have been able to guess your age. It is a point difficult to fix where the features and countenance are so much at variance as in your case."
2. The much beloved scene in the garden, where Rochester proposes, and Jane questions his sincerity:
“Mr. Rochester, let me look at your face: turn to the moonlight.” “Why?” “Because I want to read your countenance—turn!” “There! you will find it scarcely more legible than a crumpled, scratched page. Read on: only make haste, for I suffer.”
Ha! I try not to like Mr Rochester bc I think you should not lock up your mentally ill wife in an attic, but damn these are such romantic and beautiful scenes, and I love both characters.
I have discussed the history of views on emotional expression in a chapter of my book on Portraits, going on up to Ekman today. I’d like to send you a copy. Maybe I can find your home address or you can DM me on Facebook? As you could expect these issues will interact a lot with historical views on portraiture as well.
Yes! I’d love that. I will dm you on fb
I too thought "countenance" was a synonym for "face." Etymonline says it "evolved" to mean that, but personally I enjoy the original sense and love that you shared your discovery.
I believe that our magnetic response (whether attraction or repulsion) is actually metaphysical rather than merely physical, so a word with a broader and deeper meaning seems more accurate. It is an interesting point, then, that English has abandoned such a word. Was the meaning lost because our awareness of the metaphysical has become increasingly subconscious? (In other words, I think we don't exactly "evaluate" countenance, because I think "evaluation" is via the conscious, logical mind and countenance is considered only by the subconscious, spiritually-oriented mind.) Is there a replacement term — vibe? energy? Or just a knowing in the heart? An irrepressible smile? An inexplicable pull?
Thank you Helen for the delightful food for thought.