Mikkel
The ”out of” in “Out of Africa” - for native English speakers. The Danish author Karen Blixen wrote a memoir titled “Out of Africa” (published in 1937) I’m not sure what “out of” means (The Danish title is “My African Farm”, so comparing the titles doesn’t help me). Is it obvious to native speakers what “Out of Africa” means or is it open to interpretation? What do you think it means? Info: Karen Blixen owned a farm in Africa and eventually had to sell it, since it was operating at a loss, and return to Denmark. UPDATE: I’m now reading on Wikipedia that the book’s title is probably an abbreviation of the famous ancient Latin adage Ex Africa semper aliquid novi, which translates as “Out of Africa, always something new.” The meaning of “Out of Africa” in the adage is not clear to me, though. Thanks for your help!
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I think it is deliberately ambiguous - perhaps a triple entendre? It has several relevant interpretations. It can be a reflection of our genetic roots as Carlos said. It can also be a reference to the idea of 'get out of there' - as in she left. It could also be interpreted as that she was a product of that life there: 'made out of' where the 'made' can be omitted. 'I have a comb out of ivory'.
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Usually the phrase "out of Africa" refers to the history of our early ancestors; that "mankind" originated in Africa and migrated from this area to other parts of the world. Maybe, that's what the title refers to? I hope the suggestion helps. (I'm a native speaker of English.)
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If you go to google and type "out of Africa theory" you'll find a better explanation.
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Thanks for the link Jerry. Interesting article. Amusing that Aristotle "wrote that many of the animals unique to Africa were strange hybrids, suggesting that the lack of water forced the animals to meet at watering holes where they mated indiscriminately with one another.”
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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0219_030219_outofafrica.html This explains the phrase but I've never understood how it relates to the book or the movie.
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