"Even were he not to..."
I am currently reading "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" by P.K. Dick and I have come across a grammatical structure I don't quite understand. The excerpt is the following (no spoilers, don't worry):
"Ever thought of selling your horse?" Rick asked. He wished to god he had a horse, in fact any animal. Owning and maintaining a fraud had a way of gradually demoralizing one. And yet from a social standpoint it had to be done, given the absence of the real article. He had therefore no choice except to continue. Even were he not to care himself, there remained his wife, and Iran did care. Very much.
Although I think I can grasp the meaning (similar to "although he didn't care") I would really appreciate some information concerning the use and meaning of the sentence, as well as some pronunciation advice: should 'were' be stressed?
I would also find another example very useful.
Solution 1:
This is an older phrasing, unusual in the past few decades, especially in American English.
"Although he didn't care" is a good guess, but not quite right. Although, even though, and declarative+"still" mean that something did happen and it did not have the expected result. It would mean he had to do the opposite of what he wanted.
"Even were he not to care himself" means "Even if he didn't care himself." Even if, "even"+subjunctive, and subjunctive+"still" describe an imaginary situation (that did not happen) and would not have had the expected result. It can also describe an unlikely future situation that will not have the expected result. It means that he does care, but in the imaginary situation of not caring, he would have to do the opposite of what he wanted.
Here is an example with some alternate phrasings:
- Even had they offered her more money, she would've left the company.
- Had they offered her more money, she still would've left the company.
- Even if they offer her more money, she will still leave the company.
Here is a link to an excellent series of examples and explanations on using the subjunctive in similar ways: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv342.shtml
Solution 2:
Even were he not to care himself. . . is an alternative way of saying Even if he were not to care himself . . . The stress in the clause would naturally fall on not.
Another example is Were he to work harder, he might make a success of his business instead of If he were to work harder, he might make a success of his business. It is a rather literary form, and is not normally found in conversation.