It's always interesting to see which interesting phrase you'll choose for comparison. Here, of course, the results are unusual for me. What's most interesting is P&V's choice to specifically mention castles in Spain. I didn't know there was such an idiom that refers to something distant and pleasant. But Spain really does have beautiful castles, so you can't argue with that.
I actually didn't know that there was an idiom about castles in the air or in Spain or anywhere else. Imagine my surprise on reading Dickens in bed last night at finding that exact phrase in Bleak House:
"So, Richard said there was an end of it - and immediately began, on no other foundation, to build as many castles in the air as would man the great wall of China. He went away in high spirits. Ada and I, prepared to miss him very much, commenced our quieter career."
So, credit to P&V and Constance Garnett for coming up with an idiom that fits the time period perfectly!
Yes, they did their work in this regard. In the 19th century, everyone apparently talked about this! What surprises me here is rather the emphasis on Spain. I can imagine castles in the air, but I didn't know that Spain was perceived as a fairy-tale country.
It's always interesting to see which interesting phrase you'll choose for comparison. Here, of course, the results are unusual for me. What's most interesting is P&V's choice to specifically mention castles in Spain. I didn't know there was such an idiom that refers to something distant and pleasant. But Spain really does have beautiful castles, so you can't argue with that.
I actually didn't know that there was an idiom about castles in the air or in Spain or anywhere else. Imagine my surprise on reading Dickens in bed last night at finding that exact phrase in Bleak House:
"So, Richard said there was an end of it - and immediately began, on no other foundation, to build as many castles in the air as would man the great wall of China. He went away in high spirits. Ada and I, prepared to miss him very much, commenced our quieter career."
So, credit to P&V and Constance Garnett for coming up with an idiom that fits the time period perfectly!
Yes, they did their work in this regard. In the 19th century, everyone apparently talked about this! What surprises me here is rather the emphasis on Spain. I can imagine castles in the air, but I didn't know that Spain was perceived as a fairy-tale country.
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/the-art-of-existence-by-dostoevsky