Despite the fact that Ellen was born in New York, she spent most of her life in Europe (including France and Poland). As a result, she speaks English with a particular dialect that doesn’t always match those of the Americans around her. This comes across in subtle ways, such as in a letter she writes to Archer. In Chapter 14 he analyzes her odd use of the phrase “running away” in the letter, understanding that it is likely influenced by French:
What was Madame Olenska running away from, and why did she feel the need to be safe? […] [S]he was not wholly at her ease in English, which she often spoke as if she were translating from the French. “Je me suis évadée—” put in that way, the opening sentence immediately suggested that she might merely have wanted to escape from a boring round of engagements; which was very likely true.
Later, in Chapter 15, Archer, Beaufort, and Ellen spend an afternoon together and the narrator describes how the European-born Beaufort understood Ellen’s dialect much better than Archer did:
Madame Olenska, in a burst of irritation, had said to Archer that he and she did not talk the same language; and the young man knew that in some respects this was true. But Beaufort understood every turn of her dialect, and spoke it fluently: his view of life, his tone, his attitude, were merely a coarser reflection of those revealed in Count Olenski’s letter.
This passage is both literal—Ellen and Archer do not “talk the same language” because their phrasings are different—and also figurative—the two can’t totally understand each other because they come from different backgrounds. As Archer notes, “dialect” here means language and also “view of life,” “tone,” and “attitude.” Ellen is much more European in her progressive views of the world and her attitudes toward society generally—she is (initially) less interested in following the rules than in finding pleasure in art, music, and good conversation.
Despite the fact that Ellen was born in New York, she spent most of her life in Europe (including France and Poland). As a result, she speaks English with a particular dialect that doesn’t always match those of the Americans around her. This comes across in subtle ways, such as in a letter she writes to Archer. In Chapter 14 he analyzes her odd use of the phrase “running away” in the letter, understanding that it is likely influenced by French:
What was Madame Olenska running away from, and why did she feel the need to be safe? […] [S]he was not wholly at her ease in English, which she often spoke as if she were translating from the French. “Je me suis évadée—” put in that way, the opening sentence immediately suggested that she might merely have wanted to escape from a boring round of engagements; which was very likely true.
Later, in Chapter 15, Archer, Beaufort, and Ellen spend an afternoon together and the narrator describes how the European-born Beaufort understood Ellen’s dialect much better than Archer did:
Madame Olenska, in a burst of irritation, had said to Archer that he and she did not talk the same language; and the young man knew that in some respects this was true. But Beaufort understood every turn of her dialect, and spoke it fluently: his view of life, his tone, his attitude, were merely a coarser reflection of those revealed in Count Olenski’s letter.
This passage is both literal—Ellen and Archer do not “talk the same language” because their phrasings are different—and also figurative—the two can’t totally understand each other because they come from different backgrounds. As Archer notes, “dialect” here means language and also “view of life,” “tone,” and “attitude.” Ellen is much more European in her progressive views of the world and her attitudes toward society generally—she is (initially) less interested in following the rules than in finding pleasure in art, music, and good conversation.
