One of my favorite things about reading classic literature is the delight of coming across phrases that I didn’t realize have been around for a long, long time.
Case in point: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, serialized in 1859.
On the day of a beloved friend’s wedding, two matter-of-fact characters, Miss Pross, the no-nonsense housekeeper, and Mr. Lorry, who is all business all the time, have this brief exchange:
“‘Well; but don’t cry,’ said the gentle Mr Lorry.
‘I am not crying,’ said Miss Pross; ‘you are.'”
What???
It is a sweet and surprising scene between these two characters. But the big surprise was reading a phrase from 1859 that has become a popular meme in recent years.
A brief internet search on the phrase’s origin didn’t turn up much. Issac on DigitalCultures writes, “The phrase is used as a humorous way for men to cover up their tears and their emotional vulnerability.” He attributes it to a 2004 Starsky and Hutch movie. Issac ends with, “Another possible origin for the expression is the 1859 novel of Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities, in which the phrase “I’m not crying, you are” is uttered by Miss Pross.”
It seems straightforward that Dickins originated the phrase, even if it didn’t become popular until 150 years after he first penned it. It is also curious that the phrase has been gendered as male, at least in the explanation above, when it was first uttered by a female character written by a man. Crying, or not, is such a gendered issue. Sadly.
Have you come across a phrase in a classic or older book that surprised you in this way?
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This is such a fun discovery! It’s wild how many phrases and words and themes really are older than you’d expect. Shakespeare’s works are full of examples, of course. I also enjoy thinking about how lolcats (now a grandma meme format itself) were predated by over a century by some of the earliest photographers.
Many but I wouldn’t have picked this one because I’m not familiar with it as a saying? In what context has it become popular? Is it an American thing? Or am I just out of touch with modern lingo?
Perhaps it is more of an American thing. If you Google the phrase and select images you’ll see examples of its usage, from GIFs to cat stickers to videos. Even U.S. VP candidate Walz used it recently at the end of a story he tells about using IVF (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMM8RKR-KGk). I suppose it if is more of an American thing, you might have to add “USA” to your search terms.
That’s an interesting point about familiarity when it comes to such phrases that are still in use (or brought back to life or that fly over our heads if we don’t have context). A friend recently shared an academic article that has this line: “In some way, libraries are a lower back tattoo, a rendering both provocative and permanent.” I haven’t yet read the article but acquired a copy and look forward to reading it. I do wonder how well that phrase will hold up to time and imagined future scholars googling “lower back tattoo.” The article is, “Libraries Full Circle: The Cross Section of Community, the Public Sphere, and Third Place” by Emma Wood (2021).
Thanks Chris … “lower back tattoo” made me think provocative but hidden or unknown! Aren’t all tattoos essentially permanent?
I’ve not heard that phrase being used anywhere but if I had, I’d never have guessed it originated with Dickens.
Well, this has been a good lesson for me about making assumptions! I had assumed “everyone” was aware of this phrase, but even some of my friends here in the U.S. have not heard it.
I’m not familiar with the context of the Dickens novel, but it seems like in it it’s being used more literally, and not as humorously?
Is Miss Pross really crying? Did she really see Mr Lorry cry? If so, it seems like the meme is a very different thing from the original, in which case it makes sense to not attribute it to Dickens.
Thanks so much for your comment! I think Dickens intended it to be a humorous scene. He has a knack for using irony combined with sharp comedic timing.