A few days ago
Anonymous

what’s the exact meaning of ‘those in the stalls’ and ‘those in the pit’?

I am translating the book My Philosophical Development by Russell into persian, russell said in the book mentioned above: we do not suppose that the cine-cameras have minds and we should not suppose so even if, by a little ingenuity on the part of their maker, those in the stalls were made to sneer at the moments when those in the pit applauded. what is the explicit meaning of the phrase and what is the antecedent of ‘those in the stalls’ and ‘those in the pit’? please help me!

Top 1 Answers
A few days ago
picador

Favorite Answer

I am not alone in failing to understand Russell; but the theatrical allusion is certainly to spaces such as “The Globe” of Shakespeare’s day. The wealthy patrons sat in raised enclosures – the Stalls while the “groundlings” stood in front of the stage – in the Pit. In other words, a metaphor for class distinction.
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