Not P but Moby-Dick (37)

[Ian Livingston]

Cooper had already established the ideal of American individualism in his
"Leatherstocking Tales" by the time of Moby Dick. As would-be
individualists, Americans don't like seeing their own characteristics in
others, especially Englishmen, from whom the American assumes he has
individuated sufficiently to think of himself as unique. The reserved
American, therefore, might think the reserved Englishman to be either
emulating or mocking him. Thus, "fancy" in this case is to be read as
"imagine as authentic."

On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 12:28 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> From Chapter 53:
>
> Nor would difference of country make any very essential difference; that
> is, so long as both parties speak one language, as is the case with
> Americans and English. Though, to be sure, from the small number of English
> whalers, such meetings do not very often occur, and when they do occur
> there is too apt to be a sort of shyness between them; for your Englishman
> is rather reserved, and your Yankee, he does not fancy that sort of thing
> in anybody but himself.
>
> What does "he does not fancy that sort of thing in anybody but himself"
> mean here?
> --
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>