Please help me to read this English sentence:

[Chess]

Yeah, no problem, I've re-edited my first reply, I hope you could see it.

The clause "many curious natures" and "also made me a victim of not a few veteran bores" refers to his habit, which is "inclined to reserve all judgments"

[Koir]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Can “The abnormal mind” mean a certain specific people? I mean more than one person?

In the context of the statements, the speaker is referring to his mind in the third person. This way, he can examine it as something he is separate from, and can speak in analytical ways.

I believe that “the abnormal mind”, “many curious natures” and “not a few veteran bores” are the same people. Is this right?

Thank you!

"Many curious natures" is a general term used by the speaker to group together other peoples' behaviour and habits and declare them "curious". This term is used by the speaker to show how interesting he finds these behaviours in other people.

"Not a few veteran bores" is similar, except the speaker is grouping together other peoples' behaviour that he finds uninteresting. He has examined them the same as "curious natures" and found them boring.

"The abnormal mind", again, is the speaker referring to his own mind in the third person (indirect reference).

Hope that helps, Yuri.

[ColinHowell]

Originally Posted by Koir

In the context of the statements, the speaker is referring to his mind in the third person. This way, he can examine it as something he is separate from, and can speak in analytical ways.

Are you sure about that, Koir? I've long since forgotten The Great Gatsby, but the context makes me think that the narrator is speaking in general about people that he considers abnormal. It's certainly common in English to speak of a generality in this way.

In other words, "weirdos quickly realize that I won't judge them and they latch on to me."

[Koir]

Originally Posted by ColinHowell

Are you sure about that, Koir? I've long since forgotten The Great Gatsby, but the context makes me think that the narrator is speaking in general about people that he considers abnormal. It's certainly common in English to speak of a generality in this way.

In other words, "weirdos quickly realize that I won't judge them and they latch on to me."

I may have assumed too much, I admit. But when reading the passage, I was thinking that the speaker was referring to his own mind indirectly and all others of the same mind as him.

Your summary is the same conclusion I would come to, but I was concentrating more on the meaning of the sentences themselves.

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

"The abnormal mind", again, is the speaker referring to his own mind in the third person (indirect reference).

Hope that helps, Yuri.

Hi.
So, you think “The abnormal mind” is a person, not people.
Thanks.

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Chess

- The narrator used the word "The" because he is pointing at his own brain and describes what his brain does when it appears in a normal person. Or if there's an abnormal mind already mentioned before that part of the sentence, he's probably referring to someone's brain.

Hope this helps.

The abnormal mind is his own brain and it can appear in a normal person???

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by ColinHowell

I've long since forgotten The Great Gatsby, but the context makes me think that the narrator is speaking in general about people that he considers abnormal. It's certainly common in English to speak of a generality in this way.

In other words, "weirdoes quickly realize that I won't judge them and they latch on to me."

Hi, ColinHowell.

I see.
“The abnormal mind” means people that he considers abnormal in this context, so, the words can means plural, right?

What’s the difference in meaning between those two?
1. Those abnormal minds are quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”
2. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”

Thanks!

[Chess]

The first one refers to more than one because the subject is in plural form. While the second one refers to only one subject for having a singular form.

[avicus]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Hi, avicus.

Do you speak Japanese?
Do you know what 誰かさんmeans?

Hi YuriTokoro,

日本語が話せますが、まだ上手に成りませんよ。jdic を開いたとわかったばっかりしまいました。でも、「誰 か」と「誰かさん」の意味が違うことはこれに関係ない と思います。　

「誰かさん」is more specific than 「誰か」, in the sense that in the former, it is obvious who is the person being referred to. However, in that passage, 'someone' can also mean 'anyone', because no specific person is being referred to.

[ColinHowell]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Hi, ColinHowell.

I see.
“The abnormal mind” means people that he considers abnormal in this context, so, the words can means plural, right?

What’s the difference in meaning between those two?
1. Those abnormal minds are quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”
2. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”

Thanks!

In #1, "Those abnormal minds" simply means "the abnormal minds I've just mentioned".

Sentence #2 makes a sweeping generalization. It states that there is a single class containing all people who the speaker thinks are abnormal, and it goes on to describe that class. That's why "the abnormal mind" is singular and uses "the". It creates an abstract idea and says that every abnormal mind has these qualities.

If this sounds to you like an arrogant way of speaking about people, you're not alone. I don't think English speakers use this sort of expression much nowadays, but it used to be more common in the early 20th century, when The Great Gatsby was written. But it also says something about the narrator's personality; he claims to "reserve judgment", but he then judges an entire class of people with a single statement.