Bemused by Words
Fri, Jul 27, 2007 <> 4:10 PM
I recently finished Harry Potter 7, which gave me the idea to start again from book 1 and read them all through again.
There were a few times in book 7 where a character was described as being “bemused” when in fact I would have expected that character to be surprised or distracted, and not mildly amused. Reading through book 1, I’ve found a couple more instances of this same use of bemused, and sure enough, it has a few definitions
- to cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement
This is the only meaning I’ve ever ascribed to this word, but Rowling is using either definition #1 or #2:
- to make confused : puzzle, bewilder
- to occupy the attention of : distract, absorb
I wonder if this is a UK/US English thing, or if I just never took the time to look the word up after seeing it used once.
Another word that gets a fair amount of play in Potter books (and elsewhere) is nonplussed, which has always sounded (to me) like it should mean that the actor is at equanimity. That’s the meaning I assumed the first few times I saw the word, even though it completely didn’t fit in context. I’ve (obviously) looked it up since then, but it still trips me up every time.
By the way, book 7 is excellent.
say something (3 comments)
1. dawn hogue commented...
Sun, Jul 29, 2007 <> 4:36 PM
i had the same reaction in terms of reading the series again, from start to finish. after pouring over books six (as a refresher) and seven for two weeks, i felt like i was having harry potter withdrawl when i finished. i too enjoyed book seven and rowling’s distinct vocabulary. however, i’m still not sure that i liked the epilogue. but one friend’s view is that the epilogue was necessary to prevent others from continuing the story. rowling ends it herself. so my quandry — do i reread the potter series or tackle the pile of books that have been awaiting my attention?
2. Topher commented...
Mon, Jul 30, 2007 <> 9:44 AM
A couple of years ago “bemused” struck me as an interesting word, so I looked it up. I’ve tried to perceive it as def 2 in your list ever since. It makes sense. To muse is to think, so to be bemused is in the midst of thought.
I really want to get the British versions of the books. I would imagine the language would be a lot more interesting.
I felt like “The Sorcerer’s Stone” would have made a LOT more sense to me as “The Philosopher’s Stone”, which is what it is in England.
3. joel boonstra commented...
Mon, Jul 30, 2007 <> 10:01 AM
When I first read book 6, it seemed much more “British” than the previous 5. I suppose I was still reading the American English version since I didn’t notice any “colour” in the text, but I think maybe the translation was less extreme.
I’m sure you could locate the British versions on Amazon (.com or .co.uk).
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