I feel he’d been sitting on this

[GoodTaste]

The relationship between the two had deteriorated as time went on, Waldmann said. “Locke becomes increasingly rude about Tyrrell to his face and to others, so that’s one personal animus,” he said. “The second was Locke’s extraordinary success. By the early 18th century, Tyrrell is still alive and he’s watching his dead friend, one who didn’t treat him particularly nicely, become the most celebrated literary figure of the past five decades. I feel he’d been sitting on this and he felt, well, now’s the chance.”

Source: The Guardian

Does "I feel he’d been sitting on this" mean "I feel he’d been sitting on this holy seat (of being the most celebrated literary figure)"?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The relationship between the two had deteriorated as time went on, Waldmann said. “Locke becomes increasingly rude about Tyrrell to his face and to others, so that’s one personal animus,” he said. “The second was Locke’s extraordinary success. By the early 18th century, Tyrrell is still alive and he’s watching his dead friend, one who didn’t treat him particularly nicely, become the most celebrated literary figure of the past five decades. I feel he’d been sitting on this and he felt, well, now’s the chance.”

Source: The Guardian

Does "I feel he’d been sitting on this" mean "I feel he’d been sitting on this lofty seat (of being the most celebrated literary figure)"?

Pronouns can confuse.

In the last sentence, the word I refers to the Guardian writer and he'd and he refer to Tyrell.

I understand sitting on to mean suppressing. He'd been keeping quiet about his feelings for many years. Now that Locke was dead, Tyrell decided he could promote his own writing more aggressively.

 

[GoodTaste]

In the last sentence, the word I refers to the Guardian writer and he'd and he refer to Tyrell.

I understand sitting on to mean suppressing. He'd been keeping quiet about his feelings for many years. Now that Locke was dead, Tyrell decided he could promote his own writing more aggressively.

So "sitting on this" means "suppressing this feeling (of being the most celebrated literary figure)"?

 

[GoesStation]

So "sitting on this" means "suppressing this feeling (of being the most celebrated literary figure)"?

No. He'd been suppressing his resentment.

 

[GoodTaste]

No. He'd been suppressing his resentment.

So "this" = "his resentment."

But the grammar seems to be hard to grasp since "the resentment" is much stronger than the level of "not being treated particularly nicely".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

So "this" = "his resentment."

But the grammar seems to be hard to grasp since "the resentment" is much stronger than the level of "not being treated particularly nicely".

That phrasing is just the writer's style. It's clear that Tyrell was very unhappy. It doesn't explicitly say "resentment." You have to infer that from the story.

Read it again. Tyrell endures being one-upped by Locke for years. Tyrell remains silent, but his resentment grows. After Locke dies, it comes to the surface.

 

[Skrej]

I think it's more than just resentment that Tyrell had been sitting on. Tyrell had apparently been sitting on some secrets that partially discredited Locke.

According to the article, it's believed that Tyrell is the "anonymous" source who revealed several secrets that diminished Locke's representation, including claims of plagiarism, lying, and failing to acknowledge the source of inspiration for several of his (Locke's) ideas.

The resentment was (according to the article) the reason Tyrell finally published (albeit anonymously) the revelations about Locke -evidently out of vindictiveness for Locke's mistreatment of Tyrell.